Millions of fight fans will be watching when Manny Pacquiao steps into a Las Vegas ring Saturday night on top of a pay-per-view card against Juan Manuel Marquez.
In a rematch of a 2004 bout that ended in a majority draw, former three-division champion Pacquiao will challenge World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Marquez at Mandalay Bay (HBO Pay-Per-View).
Four years ago, Marquez, then the defending International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association featherweight champion, was forced to dig deep after Pacquiao sent him to the canvas three times in the first round. The fight was nominated for “Fight of the Year” by the 2004 Boxing Writers Association of America.
Marquez (48-3-1, 35 KOs) of from Mexico City captured his first world title in 2003, stopping former world champion Manuel Medina in the seventh round to capture the vacant IBF featherweight title. He unified the title by dethroning WBA champion Derrick Gainer to set the stage for his first mega-fight against Pacquiao.
Dubbed “Republica Enemy No. 1,” Pacquiao (45-3-2, 34 KOs) of General Santos City, Philippines, has blitzed through the best fighters Mexico has had to offer since 2003, including Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar Larios, Emanuel Lucero, Hector Velazquez and Jorge Solis. The only blemish on his resume was the draw against Marquez.
Pacquiao, 26, was named 2006 Fighter of the Year by the BWAA and The Ring Magazine. The hard-hitting southpaw has won 21 of his last 22 bouts including 2007 victories over Barrera and Solis.
“There is something very special and unique about Manny Pacquiao,” promoter Bob Arum said. “He really is the pride of the Philippines, a very exciting and charismatic athlete. However, Manny is going into the fight of his career, taking on champion Juan Manuel Marquez who is driven by the fact he fighting for the entire country of Mexico.”
Pacquiao is a national hero in the Philippines. When he returns home after his fights, he is greeted by thousands of his cheering countrymen. Among his fans is Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who has stated “”the victory of Pacquiao is a victory of the more than 76 million Filipinos, and the entire nation joins him in celebrating.”
Lee a headliner
Highly touted middleweight Andy Lee (15-0, 12 KOs) takes another step toward a title shot March 21, when he faces Brian Vera (15-1, 9 KOs) at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The fight will be shown on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” series.
Lee, of Limerick, Ireland, fights out of Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward’s Kronk Gym in Detroit. Considered by many to be a future middleweight champion, the 6-foot-2 southpaw represented Ireland in the 2004 Olympics.
Tickets, priced from $25 to $75, are available at the Mohegan Sun box office or through Ticketmaster.
The Lee-Vera bout is scheduled for 10 rounds and will headline a card that features several undefeated prospects stepping up to face tough competition. Wayland Willingham (13-0, 8 KOs), Paul Hyland (9-0, 3 KOs) and super middleweight Aaron Pryor Jr. (8-0, 6 KOs), son of Hall of Fame junior welterweight champion Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor (39-1, 35 KOs), who’s expected to at Mohegan Sun to cheer on his son, are the undefeated prospects slated to appear on the card.
