LAS VEGAS ? Trainer Freddie Roach has been in Manny Pacquiao?s corner for all three of his matches against Juan Manuel Marquez. He has devised each ring strategy, put Pacquiao through rigorous training sessions and has bitten his nails awaiting the judges? decisions in the last two matches.
Roach is back for the fourth, and possibly final, match between the two men. Again he thinks he has developed the right plan and he believes that he has Pacquiao in tip-top shape. And again he hopes that Marquez falls into the traps that he has set.
Roach won?t know that until Pacquiao and Marquez settle into a rhythm during their 12-round welterweight match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night (HBO PPV).
?This is a very good fight, a good fight for the sport,?? Roach said. ?I hope it does turn into a fight and I hope he (Marquez) has put the muscle on to fight.?
At the weigh-in, Marquez ?who weighed 143 pounds ? disrobed to reveal a sculpted body with rippling biceps and wash-board abs. Pacquiao was the heaviest he?s ever been for a fight, tipping the scales at 147 pounds.
Roach is hoping that additional muscle will convince Marquez to be more aggressive.
?He said he wants to go for the knockout. I hope so,?? Roach said. ?That works for us. You put on a lot of muscle, that means he wants to exchange more. That works in our favor.?
Only the first fight unfolded the way that Roach had planned as Pacquiao used his speed and power to score three first-round knockdowns. But Marquez got up each time and fought back with the force and fury of a tornado. He turned a potential lopsided decision into a draw.
In the other two matches, Marquez relied upon his immeasurable skill as a counter puncher. But Marquez was able to convince only one judge in each of the last two fights that he was good enough to win. The other two scored the fight for Pacquiao.
?I?m hoping the judges see the right thing in the ring this time,?? Marquez said. ?None of the three judges in this fight have ever even seen any of my fights before. I just hope they come in and judge what they see in the ring.??
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