HOLLYWOOD?Manny Pacquiao will never back down from a fight. Especially against someone who refuses to accept defeat.
?Kahit sampung beses pa (We can even fight 10 times more),? said Pacquiao. ?Tutal matanda naman siya sa akin (Anyway he?s older than me).?
The 29-year-old Pacquiao, his right eye swollen shut, was reacting to reports that the 34-year-old Marquez?fully convinced that he won their March 15 rematch?wanted a Pacquiao-Marquez III.
?Ako naman kahit sinong kalaban, okay lang (I?m willing to fight anybody),? said Pacquiao, while signing autographs and obliging picture takers at his suite at Mandalay Bay?s The Hotel in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, however, clarified that it?s up to his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank whether to accept or reject the $6 million offered by Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions for an immediate rematch.
It?s unlikely to push through, though, as Arum dislikes back-to-back fights. He also intends to move Pacquiao up to the lightweight division and challenge champion David Diaz for the crown.
Pacquiao?s superficial 10-stitch cut will require six to eight weeks to heal before he can start training again.
Though admitting that Marquez gave him a hell of a fight in the encounter held at Mandalay Bay?s Events Center, Pacquiao said it was partly his undoing.
?Mahirap ang maputukan (It?s hard to fight with a cut),? said Pacquiao, who had to battle ferociously with one good eye in the eighth round when blood trickled from the cut on his eyebrow.
?Nag-relax kasi ako (I relaxed),? said Pacquiao, explaining that his confidence rose when he downed Marquez with a left hook with 21 seconds to go in the third round.
?Suwerte siya wala ng oras (He was lucky, there was little time left),? said Pacquiao, who was pummeling Marquez when the bell rang.
?Kung may 20 seconds pa, iba siguro ang nangyari (If I had 20 seconds more, things might have turned different).?
?Napanood ko ang replay at sumusunod siya sa akin pag-bell (I watched the replay and I saw him (Marquez) following me,? said Pacquiao. ?Parang wala sa sarili (As if he?s in a funk).?
Pacquiao did praise Marquez though.
?Ensayado siyang masyado. Ibang-iba ang galaw niya (He?s thoroughly trained. He moved differently),? said Pacquiao, who trained for eight weeks at Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Gym here.
Marquez did thin-air training for nearly three months in the mountains of Toluca to build his stamina, determined to regain Mexican pride in the sport.
But like future Hall-of-Famers Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, Marquez failed as Pacquiao escaped by split decision.
