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By Lance Pugmire and Kevin Baxter
Los Angeles Times

Floyd Mayweather Jr. returned to boxing today after a temporary retirement, and the 32-year-old who had last fought in December 2007 wasted no time affirming that his charisma and ring skills have not been diminished.

"I'm coming straight from the club, the strip club," Mayweather Jr. said in a news conference at the MGM Grand, where he'll fight Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 in a welterweight bout expected to be set at a catch-weight limit of 144 pounds. "I'm running seven to eight miles a day. I'm in great shape. Come fight night, I'll be ready."

Since he left the sport last year while walking away from negotiations for a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya, five-division world champion Mayweather Jr. (39-0, 25 knockouts) has seen his informal standing as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter handed to Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, who fights England's Ricky Hatton later tonight in Las Vegas.

"How am I not the king when nobody's taken my throne?" said Mayweather, who wore black clothing, including a stocking cap and large boots to the news conference.

He said he's prepared to fight all of boxing's top challengers near his weight level, including Pacquiao, Pomona's Shane Mosley and even a possible De La Hoya return fight.

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