In three fights against Manny Pacquiao, Marquez has lost two close
decisions and fought to a draw with the Filipino boxer. He has worked
hard and bulked up for their fourth bout Saturday in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao will smile his way to the ring Saturday night. His opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez, will glare.
Pacquiao will try to beat his Mexican rival for the third time in four
fights by again throwing caution to the wind with flurries of punches.
Marquez will again be more
calculating. Convinced he's the smarter of the two in the ring, he has
strengthened his body as never before at age 39, hell-bent to impose his
will and finally have his hand raised in victory against Pacquiao after
suffering two agonizingly close decision losses and a draw.
"This fight is more important than the last three," Marquez said of
Saturday's non-title welterweight bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
"Because it's for my legacy. The honor. The pride.
"For everything," Marquez said.
In this rivalry, those words are as fiercely serious as the hard stare Marquez delivers.
Remember, in 2004, Marquez was knocked down by Pacquiao three times in
the first round, scraped himself up each time and rallied to win nearly
every other round to gain a draw.
Their 2008 battle was incredibly narrow, Pacquiao winning a split
decision because of an early knockdown. And their November 2011 classic
was met by a roar of boos when Pacquiao was declared the winner by
majority decision.
Marquez insisted this week that his career will not be defined by the Pacquiao fights.
Who's he kidding?
Sports history is loaded with greats best remembered for losing to their foil, or falling short of clutching the brass ring.
Joe Frazier lost two of his three fights with Muhammad Ali. The Lakers' Jerry West was a tragic hero when his team lost six NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics' dynasty in the 1960s. Charles Barkley, Dan Marino and Barry Bonds are others who come to mind.
Is the die cast for Marquez? Or can he alter the story?
Marquez undoubtedly has turned over every stone to search for the way to
finally defeat Pacquiao, which explains his controversial union with
strength and conditioning coach Angel "Memo" Heredia.
Earlier in his career, Heredia was a steroid supplier to track stars
Marion Jones, Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery, then became a government
informant in the prosecution's case against track coach Trevor Graham.
Marquez and Heredia say that the boxer's new muscular build came about
naturally in training. Heredia called Marquez "Hulk" at Wednesday's news
conference.
"Anyone who wants to test me, I invite him to have spent the last four
months with me, to have got up at 4 a.m. with me every day, do the eight
hours of work, and then tell me whether I'm doing this naturally or
not," Marquez said.
Marquez's weightlifting regimen in Mexico City
and his conditioning in the mountains, at 14,000 feet above sea level,
have brought him to peak shape before his fourth bout against Pacquiao,
said Marquez's veteran trainer, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain.
Marquez can't wait to unload his mighty left uppercut on Pacquiao, Heredia said.
"Pacquiao is a guy who's as difficult to knock down as a tree trunk,"
Heredia said. "Last fight, Juan hit him so hard he fell back a meter. We
want to hit him again like that and see what happens.
"And Pacquiao hits hard, with those snappy and strong punches. There's solid strength and speed strength, and we have both now."
Beristain added, "My fighter's a lot smarter than Pacquiao, and a superior technical fighter."
The betting public anticipates another close brawl. Last year, Pacquiao
was an 8-to-1 favorite at Las Vegas sports books. On Thursday, MGM
Resorts listed Pacquiao at less than a 3-to-1 favorite.
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, doesn't expect Marquez to change, not
after 61 pro fights: "He's a counterpuncher through and through. I wish
he'd be more aggressive like he's saying. I don't think it'll happen,"
Roach said.
"We'll remain the aggressor, and aggressors, as we've shown, win close
rounds. I want Manny fighting all three minutes of every round. With
more action, there'll be no question who the better man is."
Fueled by disappointment that has amplified with each Pacquiao fight —
Marquez believes he won all three — the Mexican fighter said he
converted his rage into his preparations for this fight.
"My highest motivation is wanting to have my hand raised," Marquez said.
"I don't want to live with people telling me, 'We thought you won.' I
want to really know I won."
Pacquiao said a major reason he wanted a fourth Marquez fight is to
quiet his adversary, once and for all, to settle how each fighter will
be remembered.
"He doesn't respect the decisions of the judges, so he needs to prove
something Saturday," Pacquiao said. "But we expect to be more aggressive
than ever, and I'm better prepared for the battle when it happens. I'm
faster than him.
"It's not about the size. It's about the speed."
Right now, that's the epitaph. Marquez has one last chance to pound in new words.
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