Pacquiao, Marquez gun for KO in 4th bout

(L-R) Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez stand onstage to face the media cameras during the Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez – Press Conference at Beverly Hills Hotel on September 17, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California. Victor Decolongon/Getty Images/AFP

BEVERLY HILLS, California—Three compelling bouts in eight years haven’t resolved the rivalry between Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao and Mexican dynamo Juan Manuel Marquez, so they’re stepping in the ring together for a fourth bout on Dec. 8 at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

And this time, they’re both looking for the only decisive ending to any fight: A stone-cold KO.

“I want to erase the doubt of the last three fights,” Pacquiao said on Monday. “There’s so many people still asking if I won the fights. I think to myself, ‘Something is wrong. I have to do it again.’ This time, I will train hard to put this fight up in the history of boxing. I want to make this fight short. I want to knock him out.”

Although they’re extending a rivalry to rare lengths in modern boxing, the fighters and promoters believe fans will warm to the match-up when they remember just how good the first three fights were.

Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a draw in 2004, while Pacquiao won by split decision in 2008 and again by majority decision last year.

Those bouts featured knockdowns, wild momentum swings and fascinating contrasts in technique—but Marquez and many fans still believe he won all three fights, while Pacquiao says he clearly won the last two.

“It’s been an incredible ride,” Top Rank promoter Todd duBoef said. “People ask me whether it’s going to be hard to sell a fourth fight. Did you see the first 36 rounds? There wasn’t a dull moment.”

‘I don’t care about money’

With a combination of unfinished business and unmatched financial reward, Pacquiao and Marquez both had plenty of incentive to get together again. They have fought at 125, 130 and 144 pounds, and their fourth fight will be a straight welterweight contest at 147.

Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) is coming off his first loss since 2005, a wildly disputed decision to Timothy Bradley. Still stinging from that embarrassment, he says he’s going back to the ferocious, relentless style of fighting that made him an eight-division champion.

Pacquiao hasn’t stopped an opponent in more than three years, a once-unthinkable drought for a relentless puncher.

“I want to be the other Manny Pacquiao, like when I was 24, 25 years old,” Pacquiao said. “I want people who watch this fight to be satisfied. I don’t care about a belt. I don’t care about the money. I want the win.”

KO is only way

Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) has tested Pacquiao more than any opponent, with counterpunching skills and comprehensive boxing knowledge that can negate many of Pacquiao’s strengths.

But Pacquiao also is a nightmare match-up for Marquez, whose relentlessness hasn’t been enough to overcome Pacquiao’s once-in-a-generation combination of speed and strength.

While Pacquiao has a plan to recapture his best form, Marquez believes the only way to be sure he’ll finally get his hand raised is to stop the Filipino congressman.

Marquez swore off the rivalry and nearly retired in frustration immediately after Pacquiao’s victory last fall, but agreed to return after a few months to cool down.

“I won all of the last three fights,” Marquez said. “I would like the referee to raise my hand. Everybody knows I won the fights, and I don’t know what happened with the judges. I have to take it out of the judges’ hands this time.”

Fewer distractions

Pacquiao won’t train in Baguio, the high-altitude northern Philippine city where he has traditionally started training camp before heading to trainer Freddie Roach’s gym for the final few weeks.

Instead, Pacquiao and Roach will be in Hollywood for their entire training camp, dramatically reducing the number of distractions for the Philippines’ most famous person.

“No days will be wasted traveling between training camps in the Philippines and California,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao and Marquez will join the short list of rivalries that couldn’t be contained by a mere trilogy, including Sugar Ray Robinson’s six fights with Jake LaMotta and Robinson’s four bouts with Gene Fullmer. More recently, Israel Vazquez’s sensational rivalry with Rafael Marquez, Juan Manuel’s brother, extended to four fights, concluding with Marquez’s third-round stoppage of Vazquez in May 2010.

“I never thought it would go to four fights,” Pacquiao said. “It’s a first for me.”

Promotional tour

The two warriors kicked off a three-city promotional tour by staging a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The tour continues with another news conference Wednesday in New York.

Pacquiao says that this time he won’t make the mistake of underestimating Marquez.

“I underestimated him in our last fight,” Pacquiao said. “I will make the most of every training day to prepare for Juan Manuel.”

Between them Pacquiao and Marquez have won world titles in 12 weight divisions. The Grand Garden was the scene of their first and third fights.

“I am very excited to be fighting Manny again,” Marquez said. “I beat him the first three fights but did not get the decision. This time I will beat him again and I also will get the victory officially.”

To erase any doubt

Pacquiao’s seven-year, 15-bout win streak, was snapped in June when he lost a controversial split decision to Bradley.

Marquez is one of a handful of Mexican boxers to have won world titles in four weight classes. He lost his World Boxing Council title in the 2008 rematch with Pacquiao by just one point on the judges’ scorecards.

“This fight I truly believe will be the best of the four that these two great warriors have engaged in,” said promoter Bob Arum. “After Pacquiao won a close decision from Marquez, both want to win decisively to erase any doubts.”  Reports from AP and AFP

Originally posted at 09:02 am | Tuesday, September 18, 2012