In this era of instant rematches, the fact that it has taken nearly four years for Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez to get back in the ring together is hard to believe.
Certainly, their first bout — on May 8, 2004 — was one of the most competitive and entertaining in recent memory. And the controversy over the scoring was genuine, with one judge seeing it for Pacquiao, one ruling for Marquez and the other scoring a draw.
Another explosive battle is expected March 15 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Here are five things to look for surrounding this super featherweight showdown.
Round 13
Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round of their first fight, primarily with a straight left hand from his southpaw stance. Once Marquez figured out how to avoid that punch, he changed the fight by being the better all-around boxer.
Under trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao has added a hard right hand to his arsenal and has eliminated some of the freelance in his style.
Pacquiao still has the constant head movement (a good thing) and can bang from all angles (another good thing), but he isn’t nearly as wild in his approach.
“I think he’s 90 percent better fighter,” Roach said. “He’s smarter, more experienced; he sets things up and he has two hands now ? he’s a much better fighter than the first time they fought.”
Team Marquez would argue that Pacquiao is a more predictable fighter now than he was four years ago, that they know where he’ll be and where he’ll be coming from.
Still, Marquez’s only logical chance at winning is to make it a boxing match and pick up where he left off in the first fight.
Age before beauty
Marquez, 34 and a 15-year veteran of the ring, can see the end of his career. Pacquiao, at 29, is in his prime with his body and skill reaching their peak. Age could be a factor in what figures to be a 12-round battle of attrition.
That’s why Marquez trained like a beast in some of the highest mountains of Mexico. He’ll be in great shape, but even Marquez’s backers admit “he doesn’t have the legs or the good chin that he used to.”
One of Pacquiao’s biggest assets, along with his punching power, is his constant movement and relentless energy. He’s the Energizer Bunny of boxing. The energy alone can overwhelm opponents. Marquez neutralized that in the first fight by standing his ground and making it more of a toe-to-toe match of intelligence and precise punching.
Marquez will have to dictate that tempo again to avoid having to chase younger, faster Pacquiao.
?Viva Mexico!
This is what Marquez has always wanted, to be the No. 1 defender of Mexico’s honor.
After spending his entire career in the shadows of fellow Mexican greats Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, Marquez is finally his country’s ultimate warrior, charged with defending and protecting its proud boxing legacy.
Marquez has said victory would give him the “highest honor of being among the other great Mexican warriors who have come before and whose names stand throughout the incredible boxing history of our great country.”
Pacquiao is well aware that fighting for Mexico will be Marquez’s chief source of motivation.
“I know Marquez is the last great Mexican to beat,” said Pacquiao, who has beaten Morales and Barrera twice each.
Floyd Mayweather can say he was representing his country against Ricky Hatton, but it’s nothing compared with the national pride Marquez will carry into the ring.
Sure, Pacquiao is the pride of the Philippines, but he is more celebrity than soldier. Marquez has been training like a mad man, knowing his country’s honor is at stake as well as his own legacy.
Movin’ on up
All indications point to this being Pacquiao’s last fight at 130 pounds. The plan hatched by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is for Pacquiao to move up to lightweight to face 135-pound titleholder David Diaz, another Top Rank fighter, this June in a pay-per-view event from Macau, China, before taking on Hatton at 140 pounds.
Pacquiao’s camp is talking about the Diaz fight already, which is never a good sign.
“David Diaz is not an easy fight because he doesn’t like fighting southpaws,” Roach said. “Diaz is strong. He comes to you.”
Arum is all about maximizing Pacquiao’s global appeal as well as profits, but boxing has a reputation of destroying long-range planning. Pacquiao insists his total focus is on Marquez, as well it should be. But Diaz is on the undercard of Pacquiao-Marquez II, defending his title against Ramon Montano, and questions about a proposed Pacquiao-Diaz bout have been unavoidable.
“If we both win, I’ll be the first one to meet him at the postfight press conference to welcome him to 135,” Diaz said. “As far as I’m concerned, they can officially announce the fight right then and there.”
Even a peek ahead to Diaz would be a mistake by Pacquiao.
Powerhouse promoters
The uneasy truce between Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank continues, much to the benefit of boxing, which needs these two industry leaders to continue working together for the good of the sport.
It’s a good thing making money can lead to a spirit of cooperation. Last year, the two promotional giants ended a bitter lawsuit and gave us Pacquiao versus Barrera and Miguel Cotto versus Shane Mosley. Now, we get the long-awaited Pacquiao-Marquez rematch.
Golden Boy and Top Rank still have their differences — mostly whispered behind each other’s back. But last week, one mixed martial arts company announced a network deal and another signed a sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch. The only way boxing can keep pace is for the major promotional companies to work together to promote the best fights possible. That’s not groundbreaking news, but making it a reality has always been difficult in this ego-driven, money-grabbing sport.
Truth is, Golden Boy and Top Rank complement each other when they work together. Golden Boy’s forte is using Oscar De La Hoya’s star power and Richard Schaefer’s smarts to bring in corporate sponsorship dollars, and Top Rank excels at the grassroots campaigns needed to promote a major bout.
It might not have the glamour of De La Hoya-Mayweather, but you can bet Pacquiao-Marquez will be one of the best events of the year.
George Willis is the boxing columnist for the New York Post.
