If ever Juan Manuel Marquez beats Manny Pacquiao, it would have to be an emphatic victory for the Mexican according to Pacquiao’s former business manager Rod Nazario in a recent interview with Fightnews.
According to Nazario, Marquez, apart from being in tip-top shape, needs to administer Pacquiao a consistent and laborious beating to end up the victor.
“If ever Manny loses this bout, chances are it will be a bad beating. Manny has unbelievable high tolerance for pain that it is nearly impossible to beat him,”said Nazario at his Wild Card Gym in Sucat, Para?aque. (Filipino fans can listen to the interview thru this link)
Nazario said Pacquiao is one of the sturdiest fighters he has ever seen and one would need more than courage and fighting skills to beat the Filipino boxing hero.
Despite this, Nazario believes Marquez has the technical skills to do well against Pacquiao.
“He may be 34 already, but he has never been beaten badly. At the same time Manny is also not getting any younger. My only worry is if Manny still stays up late at night,” said Nazario.
Marquez will defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) super-featherweight belt against Pacquiao this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The bout is a rematch of their epic May 2004 encounter where Marquez survived three first-round knockdowns and settled for a 12-round split draw.
Nazario also told Fightnews he has been constantly telling Pacquiao to avoid Marquez while the Mexican is still at his peak.
“He can earn the same fight purse by facing lesser risk fighters since he is the top draw of his division. If ever I would like to see Manny fight Marquez probably towards the end of their respective careers,” said Nazario.
Nazario was quick to add that if Pacquiao will prepare the way he did for his first fight with Marco Antonio Barrera, Marquez will eventually capitulate. But for an ill-prepared Pacquiao, Nazario added it will still turn out to be a good fight.
Pacquiao established his stardom by feasting on prized Mexican fighters. He jump-started his rise when he pulverized Barrera up to the 11th round in November 2003 and cemented his claim to fame by winning two of his three battles with Erik Morales.
For his most recent fight last October, Pacquiao repeated his win over Barrera via an emphatic 12-round decision.
Marquez, meanwhile, captured the WBC belt via a close decision over Barrera last March 2007. He defended it successfully versus American Olympian Rocky Juarez also via decision November of last year.
