LAS VEGAS ? Although he stands to bankroll at least $5 million for his fight against WBC superfeatherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez here tonight (tomorrow morning, Manila), challenger Manny Pacquiao said yesterday money isn?t his motivator.
?This is not for the money, this is for the country,? Pacquiao told his Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez who has watched his back since starting boot camp in Los Angeles two months to prepare for his ?Unfinished Business? with Marquez.
Fernandez said Pacquiao is in the best shape of his career. ?If there?s such a thing as being 200 percent ready, that?s Manny,? he said yesterday.
But Pacquiao isn?t taking Marquez lightly even if he?s coming in armed to the teeth.
?Age is not a factor,? said Fernandez. ?Even if Marquez is 34 and he?s 29, it won?t make a difference. Manny?s ready to fight the best Marquez there is. Just because Marquez looked a little slow in his last two fights (against Marco Antonio Barrera and Rocky Juarez), that doesn?t mean he?s losing his speed because he?s getting older. Marquez adjusts to his opponent?s style. That?s why he?s a counterpuncher. It has nothing to do with age, just styles.?
Fernandez said since Marquez is a dangerous counterpuncher, Pacquiao must be unpredictable.
?Marquez reads what his opponent is doing then makes his move,? said Fernandez. ?He?s usually a slow starter but we?re not assuming he?ll start slow. We just want to be always a step ahead of him. We?ll dictate the tempo from the start. Manny won?t show him just one style. He?s go in and out, he?ll box, he?ll slug. He?ll do different things so Marquez won?t know what to expect.?
Fernandez said he?s worried about cuts being opened because Marquez has a tendency to advance with his head forward.
?Manny will watch for that because Marquez has a tendency to lead with his head,? said Fernandez. ?I?m not calling him a dirty fighter but if you study his style, you?ll see he uses his head a lot.?
Fernandez said what makes this fight so crucial is the WBC crown is at stake.
?Manny knows how important this fight is, not just for him, but for our country,? continued Fernandez. ?He?s going for a world title. He didn?t fight for a championship when he fought (Erik) Morales twice and when he fought Barrera last year. Now, he?s going for history. Manny is out to become the first Asian fighter to win three world titles in different divisions.?
Meanwhile, Pacquiao?s former business manager Shelly Finkel said there?s no doubt in his mind the Filipino icon will knock out Marquez.
Finkel arrived here from New York the other night. One of his fighters is booked in the undercard.
?Manny stops Marquez, that?s what I think,? he said. ?Marquez isn?t the same fighter he was four years ago when they fought. He got dropped by Barrera and I felt Rocky (Juarez) could?ve beaten him if he just pressed a little more.?
