Manny Pacquiao Vs Juan Manuel Marquez: What to Expect
By Geno McGahee
On November 12th, Manny Pacquiao, 53-3-2, 38 KO’s , plans to take care of unfinished business in his third meeting with Mexican warrior, Juan Manuel Marquez, 52-5-1, 38 KO’s. Marquez is seen as the only man that can give the Filipino warrior a fight, outside of Floyd Mayweather, JR., which is why this fight is already receiving so much attention.
On May 8th, 2004, Pacquiao and Marquez would meet for the first time. Pacquiao was fresh off his upset TKO win over Marco Antonio Barrera and there was an aura of excitement in the air. Perhaps a new star had emerged. In the first round, the “Pacman” pounced, dropping Marquez three times, but the amazing heart of the Mexican warrior was on display as he arose and fought on, winning many of the later rounds and holding Manny to a draw.
Years would pass, and on March 15th, 2008, the two would meet again. At this point, Pacquiao had established himself as the man to beat in boxing, with several impressive wins, including two stoppages of Erik Morales and a decision win over Barrera in the rematch. There is a blueprint to beat Pacquiao and Marquez follows it as much as he can, but the accurate punches and timing of Manny is hard to cope with. A knockdown of Marquez was enough for Manny to pick up a split decision win.
The record is 1-0-1 in favor of Pacquiao, but the Marquez supporters believe that the record should be 2-0, in favor of their fighter, and that is why we are at this point in the game and why this fight is important. There is a dispute and there is only one way to settle it. It’s just a shame that the 15 round fights are a thing of the past. These two fighters are 15 round fighters and we would have had this matter settled years ago if they were going the old school championship rounds.
It’s very easy to look at Pacquiao as the early favorite, and there is plenty of evidence supporting that contention.
Time is not on the side of Marquez. He is 37 years old and has been slowing down in the ring. Pacquiao is 32 years old and has also been slowing down, but not as dramatically as Marquez. It is safe to say that the third encounter will be a bigger firefight than the two that have come before it and that does not bode well for Marquez. Erik Morales could only hold of Manny for so long. Marquez may need to knock him out in order to survive this third encounter.
Pacquiao has looked better in his recent outings. Marquez didn’t look extraordinary against Michael Katsidis and Juan Diaz and was dominated by Floyd Mayweather, JR. Also, factor in that when Marquez does step into the ring in November, he will be coming off of a year layoff. That does not present a recipe for success.
There is hope for Marquez however. Pacquiao’s recent string of opponents was bigger men, but they were relatively slow and unable to hit Manny. Marquez knows how to time him and will be looking for the chance. He will not be terrified as Shane Mosley was. He will try to beat Manny with skill and grit, but he will put in more effort to make it clear.
The hope that Floyd Mayweather, JR., will return and take on Pacquiao has basically dwindled away. Everyone wants the fight, but the stars are apparently not aligned, but we have one great fight on our hands that will promise excitement. The third and final war between Marquez and Pacquiao, a trilogy that will rank up there with the Ali-Frazier history making fight series, will occur in November. It will be a fight you will not want to miss.