“GET ready and be prepared.”
It surely sounded like a threat and those words came out directly from the mouth of Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mexican counter-puncher who meets Manny Pacquiao in a much-awaited rematch on March 15 in Las Vegas.
In an overseas call from Mexico City yesterday, the 34-year-old Marquez told the Bulletin that Pacquiao “is going to see a different Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15.”
“I am not even thinking about retirement or even losing the fight. That?s not even on my mind and I am going to win this fight,” Marquez, in response to a question whether he plans to retire if he loses, said.
Still, Marquez refused to say the manner in which he will emerge victorious when the smoke clears at the Mandalay Bay.
“I don?t like to predict and I would just try my best to convince the judges that I deserve the decision,” Marquez, who battled Pacquiao to a controversial 12-round split draw the first time they locked horns in May 2004, said.
“But if there?s an opportunity to win by knockout, I will definitely not let it pass.”
Marquez, who is coming off victories over Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez, began training during Christmas and had just entered the most critical phase of his preparations with the arrival of sparmates super-bantamweight Eusebio Osejo of Nicaragua, feather Rafael Hernandez of Venezuela and Norio Kimura of Japan.
“Juan Manuel spars everyday and we don?t count the number of rounds. We concentrate on the strategy,” Marquez?s chief of staff and top adviser Jaime Quintana, who spent two weeks at Marquez?s camp before heading back to the US a couple of days ago, bared.
Marquez regularly works out at the Romanza Gym at 1:30 p.m. but his day starts as early as 4 a.m. when he runs for 30 to 45 minutes in the mountains of Toluca where he spends the weekends for endurance training.
“I go home afterwards to have breakfast then sleep and wake up for the afternoon workout at the gym.”
Marquez trains an average of 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon under the renowned cornerman, Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain.
“I am so focused and determined to win this fight,” Marquez stressed before calling it a night.
