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JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ CONFERENCE CALL PhilBoxing.com Thu, 06 Mar 2008  Los Angeles -- Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Richard Schaefer: Welcome everybody, good afternoon, Juan Manuel Marquez versus Manny Pacquiao, Unfinished Business-great, great fight. Just a week to go, anticipation is big. Juan Manuel Marquez is in a tremendous shape. I was down in Mexico, I saw him. Everybody in Mexico and Hispanics here in the United States, they are all talking about this fight. Juan Manuel Marquez is going to be the last man standing for Mexico, after Pacquiao of course beat two other fighters in Erik Morales and Mark Antonio Pravara. He is going to enter the ring as the champion, as the WBC champion. And they will be fighting for the vacant ring magazine, Super Feather Weight Championship as well. As I said before, he's going to enter the ring. But he's going to have 100 million Mexicans behind him. This is for pride this is for country. This really is for Mexico, and he will be coming out with a big victory for Mexico Saturday, March 15 at the Mandalay Bay live on HBO Pay Per View, we have not doubt about that. Tickets are still available, very few tickets though, the $100 and $200 tickets are sold out. There are a handful of $300 tickets left and a couple hundred of $400 and $600 tickets. So maybe all in all, four or five hundred tickets are left. Make your reservations. Go and grab these last remaining tickets. We will be opening up the Mandalay Bay for closed circuit seats as well. So if you are not going to get any tickets, still go to Vegas, go and be part of it of this historic weekend. The sponsors are Tecate Beer, Rock Star Energy Drink and Southwest Airlines. They have done a tremendous job to support this show. And finally thank you as well to Bob Arum and Top Rank for pulling off this great and big promotion. So again, it's going to be an amazing, a great night of boxing, a little over a week. And I look forward to see you all there. I am joined today by Jaime Quintana, Manager for Juan Manuel and Ignacio Beristain, his trainer. QUESTIONS-All questions interpreted by Jaime Quintana Dan Rafael, ESPN: I would like to know from Juan Manuel about the fact that this rematch has been quite a few years in the making. Their first fight was such a great fight. But, I wonder if he could reflect a little bit on the first fight, and talk me through that; what happened there in that first round where he got knocked down three times. And also how he was able to come back and, you know, gain a draw, a fight that many people thought that he won? And has that been on his mind ever since, you know, in getting this rematch together, has that motivated him to get this rematch? Juan Manuel Marquez: What I can tell you is that I was pretty confident on that fight. I mean I was connecting well in the first round. And I was confident. I thought it was going to be an easy fight. But, whoa, I got a surprise that it wasn't. I mean he got me with three great punches. I went down three times. But I got up. I got up because of the great condition that I was in at that time. But also because, I was defending two titles. Two titles that cost me a lot to win them. And I wasn't letting them go in three minutes, just like that. So that's why I got up and because of my great heart, and also because of my people, because of that great support that I was having that night. Dan Rafael: I guess most people would figure he's not getting dropped three times in the first round. And if he doesn't get knocked down three times, he probably ends up winning the fight on the scorecards that first time. How does he think that this second fight, what will he think, what does he think will be different about it, besides the fact that few people would expect him to get knocked down three times in the first round? Marquez: Well I can tell you that because what people are going to see is a great fight, a great fight. I'm going to put everything in the ring. And obviously, I won't be so confident. I'm going to be around from the first, when the bell rings until the end of the last round, it won't matter what ends the fight, but I'm going to be alert, I'm going to pull all my senses. Everything is going to be in the ring. So I promise you, I won't disappoint you guys. I'm going to be alert, and I won't be as confident, so it's going to be a great fight. Dan Rafael: Did he say he won't be confident or he will be confident? Marquez: He won't be so confident. I mean given that he is going an easy fight. He's going to be concentrated and be alert. Dan Rafael: Got you, okay. Thank you very much - appreciate it. Look forward to seeing the fight. Robert Morales, LA Daily News: Hello everybody. Hello Juan and Jaime. How is everybody doing? Jaime would you ask Juan if having just watched his brother engage in a very brutal fight, if that could have a negative psychological affect on Juan, as he had heads into a fight that could also be very brutal? Marquez: Well not at all. I mean as you won't see any of the fight, never lost a fight. And I'm going to be pretty concentrated on the fight. I'm going put everything in the fight and that's what motivates me now, more than that I need to win this fight because of what happened to my brother. And I promise you, I'm going to put everything in it. Franklin McNeal, Star Ledger: Hi Juan. In the first fight after the first round, you seemed to really make adjustments and pretty much dominate the fight. Were there things that you figured out from that first fight that you think will help you in the second fight, in this rematch? Marquez: Well yes, I made some adjustments and I had to make them. And from that fight to this fight, that's four years now. And Manny Pacquiao became better. I have become better. I'm a better boxer, better fighter. And it's going to be a totally different fight. Nevertheless, it's going to be a great fight. Yes, they will see a great fight and experience a great fight. But yes, from that fight, from the previous fight, Manny Pacquiao had a great experience. I had a great experience from that fight. And I just can tell you that I'm going to be into the fight. I'm going to be concentrating in the fight. And it's going to be a hell of a fight. I mean that's all he can tell you. Franklin McNeal: One question; A lot of time has gone past since that fight. Does he see the timeframe being an advantage to him rather than having thought, or would he have preferred to fight Manny sooner? So does he thing it could be advantageous for him, the delay? Marquez: Well, no, and I can tell you that it won't be an issue. My age won't be an issue in the fight. I can tell you right now that I feel better than ever. I feel so strong, so prepared for this fight. And I mean the timing; this second fight is coming at the right time. I don't see that it is not the correct time. And I didn't want to fight him sooner, but everything is falling into place, that's my feeling. Bob Hough, Fightnews.com: Good afternoon. Mr. Marquez, you had spoken just a couple minutes ago that this is going to be a totally different fight. And talked about how you've improved, how your opponent's improved. Can you talk a little bit about how specifically you've improved and how specifically you see that this fight is going to be totally different? Also, are you concerned that your opponent may weigh considerably more than you do? Marquez: Well it's going to be different because, obviously, it's now four years later, and I have acquired more experience. I'm stronger now; I think I have more speed. Manny Pacquiao has also changed. He has become a different fighter. Because of the styles, that's why I'm saying that it's going to be totally different. But, nevertheless, it's going to be a great fight. And I'm going to put everything on it. Jose Sanchez, HOY Newspaper: (Spanish spoken.) The first question was Juan Manuel, why do you think you are better than Manny Pacquiao? In what ways? Marquez: Well I can tell you that I'm a better fighter. I'm a more technical fighter, in better condition, and I proved it in the first fight. Watching the first fight I saw that Manny Pacquiao was getting tired, and I wasn't. I was in my prime throughout the fight. So I can tell you that that's why I consider myself better than Manny Pacquiao because I'm a better boxer, a better fighter. Jose Sanchez: Manuel, what are your worries about Manny Pacquiao? Marquez: As you all know, he's a very fast and very quick fighter, a very strong fighter. He has strong punch and that's all I can I worry about. But I'm prepared and I'm ready for that. I have done a pretty good enough job in the gym conditioning that I think I'm going to win. I'm going to win. I have everything to give Manny Pacquiao. Michael Woods, SweetScience.com: Juan, I'd like to get your take on people who don't know you and your brother. What are the differences in you guys technically? And are you better than your brother? Is their rivalry? Which is the better Marquez brother? Marquez: Well I don't know who is better, my brother is a great fighter. He proved he proved himself last Saturday. He's a great fighter and I admire him. I do my job inside the ring too; we prepare the same and we do our job in the ring. So that's all I can tell you, there's no rivalry between my brother and I, not at all. We are brothers and we respect each other, but I don't necessarily consider myself better than him. Michael Woods: That first fight, the third time that you went down, Juan it looked like possibly you were in a little bit more trouble. There was the possibility that you weren't going to get up. How close were you to not being able to get up the last knock down of the first fight? Marquez: To stay down means to loose the fight, and that's something that never crossed my mind. I've always said that. It cost me a lot of effort and I put in a lot of time in boxing to conquer two titles. And for me to loose in two or three minutes-it was almost impossible. And I was pissed, I was angry because Manny Pacquiao punched me when I was down and the referee never said anything to him. I was mad and I realized that I had to do my best since the referee was not doing his job the properly. I was angrier at the referee than I was with Manny Pacquiao. Michael Woods: Which knock-down does he allege Manny of punching him when he was down? Marquez: It was on the third knock down. Michael Wood: Third knock down, all right. Thanks a lot. Jerry Glick, SecoundsOut.com: Hello everybody. Hello Juan. I have a question about the time delay that was mentioned earlier. When you were in the ring that night almost four years ago, after battling your way back from those knockdowns, did you feel that the momentum was in your favor? And do you feel that you've lost that feeling of momentum with four years passing? Marquez: Well I mean we all know what happened-we all know I won that fight. He did win the first round though, maybe one or two others. I won the rest of the fight. From what I was feeling and from that fight, I feel I won and I know they can't lie to people about the outcome. But people saw that I won that fight and I was happy. I was happy because the public knew that I truly won that fight. Jerry Glick: At what point after that first round did you feel that you were back in the fight after those knock downs? Marquez: Well I can tell you that for sure that after the fourth round I was dominating the fight. Like I said, Manny Pacquiao only won one or two rounds, three at the most. After all, I was winning and clearly won the rounds. Jerry Glick: What do you feel that you learned in that fight that you're going to be bringing into this fight? Marquez: That you have to be alert from the first round all the way to the end, and that you never take anything for granted. And that's all, I clearly learned that from that fight past time. Also, you need to be into the fight 100%, every round. Ricardo Celis, Telefutura: Now that you know the power that Manny Pacquiao has, is there anything different that you guys did during the training, like fighting more defensive? Marquez: There were no major changes in training. We have great sparring and that's what is helping us a lot now. I mean now we have left handed south-paw sparring that we never had before. I mean in the previous fight, the promotional component that we were before, said that they were sending some south-paw sparring and they never got to Mexico. And now we have three great sparring, along with south-paw. Thanks to Golden Boy, because they send them. And the only thing that we are cautious of and working on is Manny Pacquiao's left-hand. We know Manny Pacquiao left-hand is like a bullet, very powerful and very fast. Also, we are aware of his right and left hook. He has become a better fighter and he has a great trainer. So those are little details that we have worked on and I don't see any other major changes in Juan Manuel's training. Everything is the same except for that. Ricardo Celis: Juan Manuel do you think there's any pressure for being the hope of all the Mexicans after Pacquiao defeated Morales, Barrera and Chololo Larios? Marquez: Well, pride and motivation will certainly outweigh pressure in this fight I know that Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter and he defeated all the fighters that you mentioned. But yes, I'm pretty motivated. And it is a big responsibility for me taking this fight. I know that I should do pretty well considering the good job in the gym and in the mountains I have done as well as conditioning. I know that I can beat Manny Pacquiao and I want to come back home with my belt. Joseph Pimentel, Asian Journal: You know, I just want to talk about Juan Manuel Marquez's legacy here. Despite all the accolades that you know you have, all those championship belts, you don't have that marquee name like Barrerra or Morales. Do you think a win will solidify your legacy among some of the top Mexican boxers? Marquez: I can definitely tell you that I know what I have done in boxing. People know what I have done in boxing. And people are the ones that give you the recognition. I have the recognition from the people. I don't see it necessary for people to compare Erik Morales, Pravara and myself. We are three different fighters. Obviously winning against Manny Pacquiao would be great. I'm doing this for me and my people because I know that they understand the importance of this fight. But there's no need to compare Erik Morales and Barrera with me. Joseph Pimentel: And one last question, how do you see this fight play out? Do you expect this to go all 12 rounds? Maybe a knock out? What do you think? Marquez: Well I don't know how it's going to end, but I can tell you that I'm confident of what I have done in the gym. I'm mentally and physically ready for this fight and I know that I'm going to beat Manny Pacquiao. Andres Rodriguez, ESPNDeportes.com: The first question was: Juan Manuel why do you think it took you so long to get the rematch with Manny Pacquiao? And at the same time, do you think that waiting so long for this fight will affect you on your preparation for this fight? Marquez: You all know that the second fight never took place right after 2004 because of my old promoter. After four years in waiting for this fight, it's going to affect me with my conditioning and technicality as a boxer. I am taking this fight very seriously. I have trained very hard for this and I'm going to win. Rodriguez: How do you handle and control those emotions-to not to get involved in your preparation in your fight, with this kind of fight that you were waiting for so long? Marquez: I can tell that it's normal. It's like any other fight. The only thing is that when they told me that I was going to fight Manny Pacquiao, I was relaxed. I know that I had to be well prepared and I am. But that's the experience and the confidence that you acquire throughout the years. Dan Rafael, ESPN: Okay, my question for Ignacio is we spent a lot of time talking with Juan Manuel about what happened in the first fight, particularly in the first round. I would like to know what Nachio was like in the corner. What was he thinking when he saw this fighter that he'd had for so long, had been so great, won titles and all of a sudden he's down three times. How concerned was he that maybe the fight was over with? And what, did he say anything to Juan Manuel in the corner to help him get back into the fight? Ignacio: Well I mean what I can tell you that I was confident on the welcome, on the gym. But I was worried, and I was mad more than worried. I was angry that I saw him on the canvas three times and he was so confident, he was so relaxed in the first round, in the first half of the first round, connecting punches the way he wanted a combination and everything. And I was thinking to myself that this is not the way he's supposed to be fighting because I mean he seemed so relaxed. And knowing Manny Pacquiao he is like a wildcat, he throws punches from everywhere. I knew at that time that he was connecting with Juan Manuel Marquez. Now this happens because sometimes fighters start listening to people, saying because people come, they come close to you and they say you know what? Don't worry, it's going to be an easy fight. You can win this fight. You can knock him out. And that faces every fighter. But I just told him, I mean, and you got to, when he came back to the corner, I just told him "I told you." I urged you not to do what you were doing. So please go back to the plan that we had and everything is going to be fine. And he did it. He did it because he had a great preparation. He had a great condition, and you saw it. I mean he went all the way to distance. Dan Rafael: Can you ask him, Nachio, what particularly was he doing wrong? Because you said that Nachio had said that he looked relaxed, he was landing punches. I would figure that's exactly what his trainer would want him to be is relaxed and landing punches? So what was it that he was doing wrong that was of concern to Nachio? Ignacio: Everything was going fine except that like I said, he was fighting so relaxed. So loose like he had an invisible opponent in front of him. And that's what cost him the three knockdowns. Dan Rafael: Okay. I have one more question for Juan Manuel. You know, there had been discussion right after the fight the first time that they were going to do a rematch right away. And I guess it had been talked about and offered. And Juan Manuel made a comment a few moments ago that it didn't happen right away because of his previous promoter Top Rank. I'm wondering what particularly was it about it that didn't happen? Was it because the money was unsatisfactory? Or some other point of the deal that was unsatisfactory? What was it that prevented it from happening then and us waiting, you know, four years for it to take place? Marquez: Well basically money was the issue. They promised me more money or a better promotion for the second fight with Manny Pacquiao. And my promoter never came through and never delivered, and he was offering me less money, half of the money that TV was offering. And they were lying to me about the promotion. That Manny Pacquiao was making the same I was making. And a lot of crap, you know. And I decided not to do it because I knew that they were lying, and I just didn't like it. We decided to go to Indonesia for a lot less money. But because of my pride, because of the person I am, I don't like lies and I don't like people to try to fool me, you know. That's why I didn't take it at first, the second fight so early, and now I'm taking it because I have a new promoter, and they had come through with everything, money and everything else that they had promised me. Dan Rafael: Just one more thing very quickly. Does he have any regrets about going to Indonesia and all the things that happened after that? Marquez: No, not at all. I don't regret anything. It was a great experience. And what I can tell you is that, and I have a saying, whatever doesn't kill you make you stronger. And that's what happened there. I acquired a lot of experience and I think it was an experience. Nube Urgiles, El Diario: Juan Manuel do you feel any pressure for being the, let's say it this way, the most recent Mexican fighter fighting Manny Pacquiao? I won't say the last one, but the recent fighter fighting, the recent Mexican fighting Manny Pacquiao. Marquez: Oh no, it's not a pressure. I mean they have a compromise and I'm taking this as ladder, as a compromise for my people and I promise it. I'm promising that I'm going to put everything out there, I'm going to give everything in the ring. So it's going to be a great fight. Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, in association with Romanza Boxing Productions and MP Promotions and sponsored by Tecate Beer, Rock Star Energy Drink and Southwest Airlines, Marquez vs. Pacquiao II Unfinished Business will be for the WBC and vacant Ring Magazine Super Featherweight World Championship. The world title bout will take place at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST. Tickets for Marquez-Pacquiao II, priced at $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, are now on sale and can be purchased at the Mandalay Bay box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers, Macy's West at the Fashion Show Mall, and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000 or Mandalay Bay (702) 632-7580. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com  |
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