Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and long-time trainer Freddie Roach stand side by side Juan Manuel Marquez and his trainer Nacho Beristain. Photo by AP.
LAS VEGAS—It will be a “fight for the ages,” as Top Rank chief Bob Arum called it. It will be a matchup that will go three-deep in both corners of the squared circle.
Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez tangle for the third time Saturday in search for a definitive end to a rivalry that has spurred debates and closed ranks across the globe.
Marquez has said he will go for the knockout if the opportunity presents itself, the same line Pacquiao, a 10-1 favorite, has constantly uttered.
But the pound-for-pound king has reservations when it comes to Marquez’s plans. “It’s easy to say you’ll fight toe-to-toe,” Pacquiao said. “I’ve heard that before. When they get to the ring, they run.”
Joshua Clottey and Shane Mosley come to mind. Antonio Margarito did engage Pacquiao, and so did Miguel Cotto. Both ended up battered.
Still Pacquiao said he hopes Marquez will come out aggressive.
“I’m excited, let’s get it on,” he said.
But it won’t be just the fighters on a collision course. Their trainers will also cross paths in the bout, three years after they traded graphic verbal barbs against each other. That was when Nacho Beristain trained Oscar De La Hoya for his fight against Pacquiao.
Both have been respectful of each other this time, with Beristain telling Yahoo Sports that the fight is not about him and Roach as it is between Marquez and Pacquiao.
“Whoever wins, [the media] will try to say that I had something to do with it or that Roach had something to do with it,” Beristain said. “I disagree. When you have good fighters and they’re in good shape, you look like you’re a lot smarter than you really are.”