This Saturday, two future members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame will step into the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. One of them, international superstar Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) is expected by most to win. Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) on the other hand is given little credit other than a notion that he can make the fight exciting for however long it lasts. How we got to this point just three and a half years after Marquez battled Pacquiao on even terms for the second time is a long story, but for varying reasons many in the media give Marquez virtually no chance in this third bout.
The most commonly cited reason by many in the strange, isolated world of the hardcore internet boxing fan is that Marquez is too small to beat Pacquiao. Let?s throw this one out the window before me move on. Marquez and Pacquiao were already easily in their physical primes by the time the last fight came around, and yes Pacquiao was bigger and stronger. However that didn?t prevent Marquez from making the fight very close, and in the minds of many observers getting the best of Pacquiao.
Despite the fact that this fight is going to be fought at a higher weight, the dynamic of Marquez being smaller and less physically imposing has not changed drastically. Instead of a normal featherweight vs. a big featherweight, we now have a small lightweight vs. a small welterweight.
The next most commonly referenced point of evidence for a Pacquiao blowout is Marquez?s near shutout loss to Floyd Mayweather in his first fight over 140 pounds. This comparison (forgetting the obvious ?styles make fights? counter argument) depends on an assumption that Pacquiao is as good or better than Mayweather, and frankly there isn?t any hard evidence to support it, as we haven?t seen the two fight each other.
