According to Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Murad Muhammad, the much-anticipated rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez is a done deal.
Also, according to Muhammad, the fight should be in Las Vegas on HBO in February.
All fight fans have been eagerly awaiting the rematch of one of 2004’s best fights, but who will be victorious if these two step in the ring?
Pacquiao may have been exposed by Marquez, who would have won the fight if not for a disastrous first round in which Pac Man dropped him three times. I have not been very high on the Marquez boys, I just feel like there is something missing. So after witnessing the opening round of the first fight, I looked brilliant telling everyone I knew Pac Man would devour Marquez.
However, Marquez showed a lot of brass in that fight. He could have given up; decide that he was too far behind in the fight to come back. He could have just stayed in the fight so he could take Pacquiao the distance, but he did much more than that. He almost won. In other words, he made a fool out of me, which his brother, Rafael, might do once he fights at a higher weight. Point is, Marquez showed heart against Pac Man.
For this reason, I think Marquez has figured Pacquiao out. He found ways around Pac Man’s blistering straight left hand and outboxed him. Although Pacquiao might be a one punch fighter, is there a stronger, faster punch pound-for-pound in boxing?
Pacquiao would need a knockout to beat JMM, and he needs that to continue on the road to greatness. If he slides by JMM on the scorecards, will anyone believe he has the power to knock out people at a higher weight? Could he really be a threat to Erik Morales at 130?
Regardless of the outcome, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to see this again. So many question marks can be answered with this fight, the first an obvious one, who’s better? Can Pacquiao keep Marquez on the mat? Will Marquez be ready this time, for Pac Man’s speed? Can Marquez avoid the big punches of Pacquiao for 12 rounds? Will Freddie Roach implement a game plan to confuse Marquez so that Pacquiao can land his straight left from different angles?
My guess – Marquez wins by split decision after picking himself up from a 10th round knockdown.
