MANILA, Philippines ? Juan Manuel Marquez believes his talent alone won?t be enough to dislodge Manny Pacquiao from his lofty perch.
Even though Marquez is widely credited for giving Pacquiao a taste of hell on two occasions, the counter-punching Mexican is going the extra mile as he lays down the groundwork of his preparation for the third showdown with the pound-for-pound king on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.
Top Rank big boss Bob Arum spoke briefly with Marquez, who was in Los Angeles for a photo shoot on Tuesday, and the Hall of Fame promoter said Marquez knows he ?will need a lot of help in this fight.?
One facet of training Marquez is tapping for the first time is nutrition.
Since his fight with Pacquiao will be at 145 lbs, a weight class that Marquez once tried his luck on but badly failed in making an impact, ?he is getting a nutritionist to help him gain weight the right way,? Arum said.
Reporting from Aspen, Colorado, where he was joining the birthday bash of his stepson and Top Rank president Todd Duboef, Arum said Marquez?s decision to hire somebody who will take charge of his diet is a clear sign he is dead-serious in shocking the world.
Marquez and Pacquiao brawled their way to a 12-round split draw in May 2004 and four years later, Pacquiao escaped with a 12-round split decision, fights Marquez said he had won.
While Marquez didn?t look at all fancy when he fought at welterweight in 2009, Pacquiao has been breathtaking the last two and a half years, bringing down naturally bigger and stronger guys as if they were of the same size and strength.
Meanwhile, Arum said he will be arriving on Sept. 1 for the kickoff leg of the promotional tour that will also have stops in New York (Sept. 5), Los Angeles (Sept. 6) and Mexico City (Sept. 7).
Manila will host the first press conference on Sept. 3.
Arum will be joined by Marquez and his trainer Nacho Beristain, Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran and publicists Ricardo Jimenez and Fred Sternburg.
Arum said the Marquez camp will grace a lunch that will be hosted by Tomas Javier Calvillo Unna, the Mexican ambassador to the Philippines, on Sept. 2.
