Juan Manuel Marquez knows exactly why there is no glow in Manny Pacquiao?s eyes when he is asked about a third fight with him.
“I think he is scared of me. I don?t know why he doesn?t want to give me a rematch,” Marquez told a horde of Filipino scribes while watching the fights at the Araneta Coliseum in the company of his adviser Jaime Quintana.
Marquez arrived in Manila at dawn yesterday on board Philippine Airlines to be at special ringside for the slugfest dubbed “Invasion” and he took the golden opportunity to revive calls from the fight fans for Pacquiao to abandon plans of invading the lightweight ranks and instead grant the 34-year-old Mexican a rematch of their razor-thin 12-round bout last March 15 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
As soon as Pacquiao was making his way to his assigned seat, Marquez walked up to him and challenged him to another bout.
“I told Manny ?Give me a rematch? and he just stood there and didn?t answer. I told him September or October and he just said okay, no problem but he did not commit,” said Marquez, who lost the World Boxing Council super-feather crown on a split decision.
“I am here to challenge Manny Pacquiao and I am willing to give concessions again only to make this fight happen,” said Marquez, who was mobbed by Filipinos wherever he went.
Quintana said there?s no other choice but to pit them again at the soonest possible.
“Juan Manuel is here to challenge Pacquiao because we don?t want any more excuses,” said Quintana, who engaged Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum to a verbal tussle hours after the March 15 fight over discussions on the Filipino bomber?s next fight.
Marquez insists he was robbed off the decision and the two judges at ringside may have watched a different bout with the way they scored it.
“I believe that I won eight rounds, while Pacquiao won just four.”
In jest, Marquez said he has only watched the replay once and is convinced that he had done enough to merit the verdict.
“I have seen the fight only once and in the replay, I won the fight. I won in (Las) Vegas and in my house (too).”
Marquez was so overwhelmed by the reception given to him that he admitted that he was at first concerned about coming over because “I fought Pacquiao twice and people may not like me.”
“But I am happy that they are treating me very well,” said Marquez, who had to get up from his seat countless times to accommodate requests for photographs.
Even when he was about to leave the arena on board a Mercedes Benz, people milled around the car and peered through the window to get a glimpse of Marquez.
“This is the first time that Pacquiao was upstaged,” said one boxing patron.
