LAS VEGAS — The rivalry between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez has resulted in one of the great boxing trilogies of the modern era.
Report by SuperSport
Tomorrow morning (4am CAT), the pair go to war for a fourth time, hoping to settle once and for all the argument over who is better.
The three fights were desperately close, with two narrow Pacquiao wins following a draw in their first meeting. For boxing followers, it’s a case of unfinished business given that neither demonstrated overwhelming superiority.
“I know that I have to be intelligent, fast and strong to beat him,” said Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs).
“Over the last eight years, Pacquiao and I have fought three times and all the fights have gone the distance. And while people say he has knocked me down four times over those 36 rounds, they should say three were in the first round of our first fight, and that he has only scored one knockdown in the next 35 rounds.”
For “Pacman” (54-4-2, 38 KOs), the challenge is two-fold: to convincingly beat Marquez and to dispel the view that he is over the hill, particularly after his shock recent defeat to Timothy Bradley.
“Champions are competitors first and foremost. They want to win. They need to win,” he says. “I have put everything into this training camp. I know I haven’t fought perfect fights against Marquez in the past and my incentive in this one is to fight the fight I should fight this time.”
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“There is a certain feeling of destiny in our rivalry. It was meant to be that we fight each other four times. All of my fights with Marquez are important. He is a legend. Perhaps the best fighter Mexico has ever produced next to Julio Cesar Chavez.
“I want everyone to know the old Manny Pacquiao is still alive in the ring. Speed and aggression will be my main weapons and if the knockout presents itself to me, I will go for it as many times as it takes.
“(This fight) means the chance to author the final chapter of a marvellous story and to look forward to writing a new chapter in my ring life.”
