Manny Pacquiao will fight Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night November 12, 2011 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be the third fight between the two boxers and the WBO world welterweight title will be on the line. This will be the fight that proves which of these fighters are the best.
The first fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez was a draw in 2004. Manny Pacquiao had a split-decision victory over Marquez in 2008. This third fight will prove two things; who is the best fighter between these two men and will Manny Pacquiao still have a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather Jr. beat Juan Manuel Marquez in 2009 via unanimous decision.
Juan Manuel Marquez is a tough fighter who has given Manny Pacquiao trouble in the past. He has power, skill and speed. Most importantly he believes he can beat Manny Pacquiao in their third fight. Will the third time be the charm for Juan Manuel Marquez? I doubt it.
Juan Manuel Marquez landed the most punches in his second fight with Manny Pacquiao, but he lost the fight because he was knocked down in the fourth round. Manny Pacquiao is a much better fighter than he was in 2008. He improved his power, speed and ring command in his past seven wins. Juan Manuel Marquez is 38, a great fighter, but this is his last chance to win a huge fight. He will be fighting a different and improved Manny Pacquiao than he did in 2004 and 2008.
This is how I believe the fight will go. Manny Pacquiao will show Marquez that he is in his prime and too strong and fast for Marquez. Marquez may still have some good moments in him, but Pacquiao will likely retire another great boxer who is slipping beyond his prime. Pacquiao will hit Marquez with hard quick punches and tire the old fighter out. He will then punish Marquez for the rest of the fight. Marquez will either be knocked out or he will be bruised and battered by the end of twelve rounds of fighting. Manny Pacquiao will likely win another unanimous decision and finally prove he is a better fighter than Marquez.
After this fight, Manny Pacquiao will be ready for a super fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Juan Manuel Marquez will either retire or continue to fight the leftovers of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Some people believe Marquez has the best chance to beat Manny Pacquiao, but I don’t see it happening. If you look at Pacquiao’s past seven fights, he has proven all the experts wrong and stands a foot above every fighter he has met in the ring.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will give Manny Pacquiao a better fight than any other fighter out there. I think the advantage may go to Pacquiao because he has more power than Mayweather Jr. I don’t see Mayweather hurting Pacquiao with one big punch, so he will likely try to stay away and use his reach. I can see Pacquiao hurting Mayweather Jr. with hard quick punches that will surprised the undefeated fighter. I can’t judge which fighter is actually the faster fighter (because I haven’t seen them in a ring together) and I consider them equal. If Mayweather Jr. does not bring the fight to Pacquiao, Pacquiao will surely bring the fight to Mayweather Jr. and put Mayweather in a place he has never been in before, in a ring with a fighter who actually has the skills to beat him at his own game.
Why does every Pacquiao or Mayweather Jr. fight compare these two great fighters? Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the fight that can bring the boxing world back into center stage for the first time in many years. Pacquiao should destroy Marquez on Saturday night and Mayweather Jr. will destroy all of the fighters who step in the ring with him. The two of them together will bring us back to fights like Ali vs. Frazier and Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard. Back to a time where there were a slew of fighters who always were willing to step into the ring and prove who was really the best fighter in the world? Will this happen between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Do they really have the guts to meet each other in the ring? We will see after Manny Pacquiao steps into the ring Saturday night to fight Juan Manuel Marquez. If he wins, it’s on.
Sources
My own opinion as a fight fan
Memories from great fights from the past
Sportsline.com