Marquez to Morales: I beat Pacquiao, you got knocked out

FILE – In this Dec. 8, 2012, file photo, Juan Manuel Marquez, of Mexico, celebrates his win over Manny Pacquiao in a WBO world welterweight fight, in Las Vegas. Marquez was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison, File)

MANILA, Philippines — Erik Morales with the jab, Juan Manuel Marquez right back with a counter.

The two Mexican legends have been going back and forth, but not in the way they were used to during their boxing days.

After Morales recently told Fox Deportes in an interview that he didn’t need four fights to beat Pacquiao, Marquez, who had four epic encounters with the Filipino ring icon, returned the favor to his compatriot.

“He (Morales) says he did not need four fights to beat Pacquiao. You have to remember that in the first fight, Erik Morales did pretty well and then what happened? He ended up getting knocked out by the Filipino fighter,” Marquez told ESPN Deportes as posted on boxingscene.com.

Morales fought Pacquiao thrice—winning their first meeting in 2005 by unanimous decision before getting stopped in their last two bouts in 2006—which included a third-round knockout.

Marquez stressed that he fought Pacquiao four times because the first three ended in “controversial” fashion.

“I needed four fights, why? That is very obvious and people know it, because each of those fights ended with controversial decisions, decisions where I basically beat him, in my opinion,” said Marquez.

“Everyone has his opinion, and I respect him, but Pacquiao himself was not satisfied with what he did in every fight, and even the decisions, especially in the third fight.”

The first Pacquiao-Marquez in 2004 was a split draw, the rematch four years later went to Pacquiao via split decision then, the third in 2011 saw Marquez lose again by majority decision.

Marquez, though, would have the final say in 2012 after he knocked out Pacquiao with just a second left in the sixth round of their fourth fight—a bout that he himself barely survived with a broken nose.

“In some way, I respect the career of any fighter and their opinion… in this case Erik Morales, but I do not agree with what he says; people know what I was capable of, people know what I did in the ring And he mentions that he only needed one fight to beat [Pacquiao], but, what he didn’t tell you is what happened after that, in the second and third fight,” Marquez said.

“I needed four, 42 rounds, to show who had won in the previous fights… and the truth is I was very satisfied with having done what was done, facing at that time a great fighter like Manny Pacquiao.”