NO less than Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum has predicted a victory by Manny Pacquiao in his title fight against World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez
The 76-year-old Arum made his projection during Monday?s (Tuesday in Manila) press conference held six days before the big fight on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) dubbed as ?Unfinished Business? at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in the sin city of Las Vegas in Nevada.
Reports coming from Los Angeles said though that Arum was hastily booed by the predominantly pro-Marquez Mexican crowd that filled the downtown Placita Olvera, known in the L.A. area as ?Little Mexico.?
Saying the Filipino ring icon is ?now stronger than ever,? Arum earned the ire of the Mexican throng when he added, ?how can Marquez win when he will fall??
Arum even went to the extent of saying Pacquiao will win by KO in the eighth or ninth round.
Pacquiao, who is seeking to become the first Filipino and Asian, for that matter, to win the world championship in three different weight divisions, was more diplomatic though, acknowledging the defending champ?s caliber by saying, Marquez is one of the best fighters in the world today.?
The Filipino idol reconfirmed though what he has been saying the past months that he is prepared and ready to mix it up and that he looks forward to show the whole world that he has improved tremendously since drawing with Marquez four years ago.
?That?s why I came here two months before the fight and I?m training hard [at the Wild Gym] because I?m still hungry,? he declared. ?I have never worked hard than in this training camp.?
Marquez is actually the last Mexican standing on the way of Pacquiao in earning the reputation as Mexico?s ?Public Enemy Numero Uno? having disposed off Erik Morales thrice, Marco Antonio Barrera twice, Oscar Larios and Hector Velasquez the past three years.
Marquez, who has been training at least two months ahead of Pacquiao at the Romanza Gym in Mexico, likewise, expressed confidence of hurdling the Filipino challenge echoing his opponent?s pronouncement of being prepared for the 12-round bout.
?Pacquiao may look for another knockout, but he has not beaten me?and he will not beat me,? Marquez asserted upon his arrival from Mexico City two days ago. ?This will be the same as the first fight [besides] the knockdowns in the first round.?
The Mexican idol was referring to his first encounter with the Filipino on May 8, 2004, where Pacquiao sent to the canvas three times in the opening round but was able to count on his superb counterpunching style to salvage a split draw decision. He was then the world featherweight titleholder.
That unsettled verdict did not satisfy Pacquiao, who thought he won the fight had one of the judges decided the first round as it should be decided.
?That was a good fight, but I?m disappointed in that decision because I dropped him three times in the first round but the decision was still draw,? he said in a previous interview. ?But that?s part of the game. I hope it won?t happen again.?
Arum and trainer Freddie Roach echoed their ward?s sentiment so that in the years that followed they tried to mold Pacquiao?s mindset into this coming fight.
At the previous media day at the Wild Card gym last week, Arum liked what he saw, leading him to predict that Pacquiao, indeed, looks unbeatable in his bid to recapture his best form.
All three?Pacquiao, Arum and Roach?believe that this fight serves as the biggest, if not the most lucrative yet in the Filipino idol?s boxing career.
While not many boxers made good of heavy-bag as part of their training regimen anymore, Roach made it a point that Pacquiao spends more time in his routine.
?He really attacks heavy bag and has great combinations. But I just want him to get him stronger and have more strength on the inside,? Roach said. Everyone thinks that heavy bag is a thing of the past, but it?s still a great tool for strength and that?s what I use it for. For power and strength. And the way Manny works the bag, you don?t see too many people like that.
