Ariza wants Pacman to give Marquez another crack

Strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza said he would like to see pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao give Juan Manuel Marquez one more chance after two fairly controversial fights so he could “shut him up once and for all.”

“Let’s see who is the better man now,” said Ariza after Pacquiao clobbered Mexican Antonio Margarito to win his eighth world title in clinching the WBC super welterweight crown.

But he said if a third fight with Marquez, who claims he won both fights with Pacquiao, happens, it should be at 140 pounds since Pacquiao can easily make the weight.

Pacquiao should also take at least a four-month rest before preparing for his next fight, Ariza added.

After praising Pacquiao for being “tough as nails even though Margarito was just too big,” Ariza blasted referee Laurence Cole for not stopping the fight while the Filipino champ was punishing the Mexican in the 11th round.

Margarito’s right eye was closed shut by then and there was a huge welt under his eye which prevented him from seeing the punches of Pacquiao, who looked at the referee as if to ask Colo to stop the beating.

“This is a sport and sometimes you got to stop the fight because there is no need for a fighter to take that kind of a beating. Cole is the worst referee I have ever seen,” he said.

Pacquiao supporters recalled that against Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003, Cole  called a slip by Pacquiao as a knockdown and when Pacquiao clearly dropped Barrera, the referee ruled it as a slip.

Ariza said the huge welt under Margarito’s right eye, high up on his cheek was a sign of “hemmoraging”  and the Mexican had to be taken to the hospital for a series of tests.

Marquez, who got knocked down by Pacquiao thrice in the first round in their first battle in 2004 but still managed to eke out a controversial draw, lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. when they fought last year at a catchweight of 144 pounds.

Pacquiao should have won that first fight if not for a scoring error by a judge, who later admitted his gaffe.

In their rematch, Marquez was downed in the fourth round and lost by split verdict.