With Juan Manuel Marquez’s long awaited third fight against rival Manny Pacquiao (53-3, 38KOs) scheduled for November, many including promoter Bob Arum, view his tune up tomorrow night at the the Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Mexico against Colombian Likar Ramos (24-3, 18KOs) as an unnecessary risk.
If all goes according to plan, Marquez (52-5, 38KOs) will have gained the requisite weight for his light welterweight bout with Colombian Likar Ramos without ill effect to his performance.
Marquez and Top Rank are hoping he will outbox and counter his little-known foe and might even convert few doubters into believing that he can give WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao a run for his money in November.
If he struggles with Ramos though, looks uncomfortable at the weight, seems slower than usual, eats too many punches or looks to be lacking power, many will write off his chances against Pacquiao altogether, and probably rightly so.
Pacquiao is a more difficult opponent, at a weight even further away from Marquez’s optimal fighting weight, and if Marquez looks to be slowing down due to age tomorrow night, he will only be that bit older in November.
Furthermore the fewer pay per views he and Pacquiao sell, the less money he will make in what many are predicting might be his last big fight before retirement.
Nevertheless the risk was one that Marquez was probably right to take.
In his sole venture above 135lbs in the past, he looked uncomfortable and sluggish in losing a one sided decision to Floyd Mayweather, coming into the fight at a weight of 142lbs.
Testing the waters at 140lbs now gives him a better idea of what weight he will be most comfortable at against Pacquiao.
And when it comes to fighters performing at the very upper limit of what weight they can effectively compete at, a pound here or there can make all the difference.
Pacquiao himself found that anything above around 145lbs slowed him down too much in preparation for his light middleweight title bout with Antonio Margarito last year, and as a result came in at 144 1/2 pounds, lighter than he and his team had originally planned.
Marquez similarly knows that against Mayweather he either gained the weight the wrong way or was simply too heavy for his frame to accommodate the weight without it severely affecting his performance.
Just as importantly, largely due to his promotional change earlier this year, Marquez hasn’t fought since November of last year, and a year off is hardly ideal preparation for an opponent that has beaten him once already.
The Ramos fight then will bridge the gap between what we know Marquez can do and what he attempted and failed to do against Mayweather.
And for those still on the fence as to whether he will be able to compete with Pacquiao now, three years after their last bout at super featherweight, should reveal a lot.
Robert McKellan, Pitt: “Ramos isn’t that good, Jorge Solis tooled him easily enough”
