If Juan Manuel Marquez is a proficient technical fighter, Manny Pacquiao is the epitome of the non-traditional dervish in the ring. That?s why whenever they clash, fans are in for a treat. It?s like a match made in heaven, a promoter?s dream come true. The protagonists are almost evenly matched. Even their physical attributes are similar. Pacquiao stands 5-6 1/2 and Marquez, 5-7. Their wingspan of 67 inches is identical. The difference is in their weight ? Marquez is a natural lightweight while Pacquiao has matured into a natural welterweight.
For their third encounter on Saturday (Sunday morning, Manila), Marquez will go up two weight divisions in a bold attempt to wrest the WBO welterweight crown. If he succeeds, Marquez will be only the second Mexican to win at least four titles in four different weight divisions. In case you?ve forgotten, Pacquiao is in a class of his own as the only fighter ever to win eight titles in eight classes. Whether Marquez will enter the ring looking like a bloated or blown-up fighter remains to be seen. He has supposedly added pure muscle to gain the extra pounds and if that?s true, he?ll be slower for it. The lightweight division has a limit of 135 pounds and in his most recent outing last July, Marquez tipped the scales at 138. The catchweight limit for this weekend?s battle is 144 pounds. Marquez will likely check in two or three pounds under the limit at the weigh-in.
Because as Freddie Roach often says, styles make fights, the coming confrontation should be a humdinger. Marquez is a clinical counterpuncher who thrives in a methodical pace. His objective is to seize control of the strike zone, the space which defines the punching distance between the fighters. If Pacquiao enters the strike zone and freezes, he?ll be a sitting duck for Marquez? combinations. If he darts in and out like a cat baiting a dog, Marquez won?t find it easy to connect. Pacquiao will no doubt try to overwhelm Marquez with a high volume of punches ? that way, the Mexican isn?t able to get untracked.
