A tremendous amount rides on tonight's fight between Floyd Mayweather and Victor Ortiz. As I previously explained, an Ortiz victory could mean the UFC establishing itself as the supreme combat sport of our era and doing so by borrowing boxing's architecture.
By what is on the minds of fight fans everywhere is if some sort of potential victory by Mayweather will help move us closer to the biggest potential super fight of today's modern era, irrespective of combat sport: Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather.
The general impression of most writers and experts is that this can happen two ways. One is that Mayweather blows through Ortiz such that he looks so young and so capable and dispatches with Ortiz so easily that the clamoring for the fight will reach a fever pitch.
The other is that Mayweather loses a controversial decision, claims a rematch and beats Ortiz in the second go-round to make a fight with Pacquiao all but an inevitability.
Then again, should Pacquiao lose to Marquez, the entire possibility is lost.
The essential takeaway is that Mayweather and boxing have a ton to lose against the upstart Ortiz. Mayweather needs to win and leave no doubt. When there's enough hope for a superfight, fans will endure fights of Pacquiao and Mayweather fighting opposition who aren't the two themselves. When the hope of Pac vs. Mayweather is gone, then so is all hope.