HOLLYWOOD? Juan Manuel Marquez believes he?s the thorn that will prick the Manny Pacquiao bubble as assassin of Mexican ring stars.
?I have prepared myself to win,? declared the World Boxing Council super featherweight champion in a recent interview with the Mexican newspaper Esto.
Marquez said Pacquiao merely caught him by surprise in the maiden round of their first fight in May 2004 and is ready to return the favor when they meet again on March 15 in Las Vegas in an eagerly awaited title rematch dubbed ?Unfinished Business.?
?This time it?s not going to be that way,? said the 34-year-old Marquez, five years Pacquiao?s senior. ?Pacquiao may look for a knockout, but he?s not going to get it from me.?
Marquez arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday hours after breaking camp in Mexico City, looking trim and raring to go to war.
Donning a big Mexican sombrero, Marquez was greeted by a throng of fans and supporters who wished him well in his rematch with the Filipino ring superstar, who owns two convincing wins each over future Mexican Hall of Famers Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
Relishing the attention being lavished on him, the champion shook hands, signed autographs and posed for photographers.
He was particularly delighted when a group of Mexican children presented him with a drawing showing a ghost knocking out Pacman, the popular video game character that gobbles up everything that blocks its path. Pacman, of course, is Pacquiao?s moniker.
Marquez has a pressing personal score to settle with Pacquiao.
Decked by Pacquiao three times in the first round in their first fight, Marquez fought back to earn a majority draw. He still insists he should have been declared the victor.
For the rematch, Marquez went to the extent of foregoing the Yuletide celebrations to attain peak form with a mixture of high-altitude and regular training in Toluca and at the Romanza Gym in Mexico City.
Marquez capped his three-month training with four rounds of sparring. Marquez, who will fly to Las Vegas on Monday, said his fight strategy will depend on how Pacquiao chooses to fight him.
