JUAN MANUEL Marquez, who many believed exposed the limitations of Manny Pacquiao, said on the eve of the defense of his twin world featherweight titles that he was overconfident going into his 12-round battle with the Filipino last year.
Interviewed by Jeff Haney of The Las Vegas Sun, Marquez, who successfully defended his IBFWBA featherweight title yesterday against Victor Polo of Colombia at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, said he has learned a lot from that fight and promised not to commit the same mistakes again.
“I learned a lot against Pacquiao, but the most important thing was not to be overconfident. I underestimated Pacquiao going into that fight, but there will be no more underestimating opponents. I?m very serious now,” Marquez, who drew with Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, said.
Marquez survived three knock-downs in the first round against Pacquiao but counter-punched his way to a scintillating and controversial split draw.
After the beating he took from Pacquiao, Marquez only got the chance to fight once, beating the ordinary Orlando Salido on points in September.
He was supposed to engage Pacquiao in a rematch last Feb. 26, but he priced himself out of the fight by demanding $1.5 million. His promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank said he was only willing to shell out half of the amount.
Against Polo, Marquez was guaranteed a purse of $300,000.
The victory by Marquez over Polo solidified his status as a member of the so-called “Big Four” of the featherweight and superfeatherweight divisions. The other members are Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Pacquiao.
