Vindication is the buzzword for Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez as he prepares for the concluding chapter in his trilogy of bouts with Manny Pacquiao next week.
On November 12, the two fighters will step into the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title will be on the line, along with final bragging rights from their encounters.
The boxers have met twice before, fighting to a draw in May 2004 before Marquez lost his WBC super-featherweight title to the Filipino in a controversial split decision in March 2008. On both occasions, though, Marquez felt he had triumphed.
“Now it’s time to shed doubt over who the best fighter is,” Marquez said on a conference call Wednesday while wrapping up his training camp in Mexico. “I want to win this fight because I believe I won the first two fights.
“We are not the only ones saying that we won those first two fights. A lot of people out there, a lot of fans and a lot of the media, agree. So we will be ready and prepared.”
Marquez gave southpaw Pacquiao extra motivation for the fight by wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend: “We Were Robbed” when their November 12 showdown was promoted recently in the Philippines.
While Pacquiao claims he was insulted by that fashion statement, Marquez believes he has just as much incentive for their third and final meeting.
