Marquez vows to KO Pacquiao this time
AP FILE PHOTO
Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez sees only two ways to exact revenge on Filipino tormentor Manny Pacquiao when they collide anew on Dec. 8.
Either he wins decisively or knocks Pacquiao cold.
“This fight, I will try to knock out Pacquiao,” Marquez told Informer.com recently.
“I need to add a new wrinkle in this fight and make it decisive this time,” Marquez also told BoxingScene.com.
Marquez’s pledge not to let the judges get in the way this time is understandable.
Their previous three fights were all close, with the first ending in a draw and the other two going Pacquiao’s way by split and majority decision, respectively.
Marquez believes he won them all and wants to prove his superiority over the eight-division world champion.
He knows that beating Pacquiao decisively won’t be easy. Pacquiao has sent him to the canvas four times while he has yet to score one against the Filipino superstar.
This has motivated Marquez to whip his 39-year-old body into the best shape possible for their fourth duel set at 147 pounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
According to Marquez, he and legendary trainer Nacho Beristain will put premium on gaining speed to neutralize Pacquiao’s lateral movements.
Still, Marquez’s main weapon will be his counterpunching skills that have proven to be a problem for Pacquiao and his longtime trainer, Freddie Roach.
“Marquez does have a hard style for us,” Roach told On the Ropes Boxing Radio. “He knows how to get Manny to move into the right hand and we just got to nullify that.”
