Juan Manuel Marquez doesn?t mind, at all, being the underdog in his March 15 battle with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
He said the fight odds mean nothing to him.
?It is the opinion of the people. But that motivates me more to win,? the reigning WBC super-featherweight said barely three weeks before his rematch with Pacquiao.
As of yesterday, online bookmakers in the United States have placed the 34-year-old Mexican as a +145 underdog, meaning a $100 bet placed on him wins $145.
Pacquiao, at 29, younger and faster, has maintained his status as the favorite and is even tipped to win by knockout. At ?185, you need $185 to win just a hundred bucks.
The Filipino superstar said he doesn?t care about the odds, too, but that?s easier to say if you are the favorite.
?Pacquiao is good,? Marquez told the Mexican press the other day from his training headquarters. ?And it?s necessary for me to take care of his left and his right (punches).?
Then the Mexican counter-puncher vowed to win the rematch, the much-awaited rematch of their classic and yet controversial draw at the MGM in May of 2004.
?It does not frighten me,? he said of the coming fight. ?I will try to knock him out.?
Marquez has trained hard for the rematch, maybe even harder than in his previous fights.
?I always prepare three months. This time is no exception. Pacquiao will see a far better Marquez than in 2004,? said Marquez, who survived three knockdowns against Pacquiao the last time.
?I will not commit the errors of the first battle,? he said.
Too bad for him Pacquiao is planning to do the same.
