JUAN Manuel Marquez vowed to show Manny Pacquiao what Mexican fighters are really made of when he steps into the ring to face the Filipino punching machine in an eagerly-awaited grudge rematch on March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Marquez, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion, insisted Pacquiao is no Mexican assassin despite the Filipino pug’s destruction of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, two great Mexican fighters. “He didn’t beat me the first time,” Marquez said in a press conference he and Pacquiao attended Tuesday at Beverly Hills Hotel along Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The event was hosted by Top Rank honho Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions hosted the affair. The Pacquiao-Marquez II is dubbed “Unfinished Business.”
Both Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a classic draw back in May 2004. In that fight, the Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round but the Mexican came back strong to salvage a draw.
Nearly four years after that thrilling encounter, the two protagonists are doing it again.
Marquez is now the title-holder, while Pacquiao earned the moniker “The Mexican Assassin” after knocking out Morales twice and beating Barrera also two times.
Pacquiao fielded perhaps the most intriguing question of Tuesday’s press conference, when a reporter asked: “If you beat Marquez, would you ever dare vacation in Mexico?”
Pacquiao grinned, then said: “Maybe, but with more bodyguards.”
Marquez wasn’t amused, saying Pacquiao is not “The Mexican Killer.”
“Here we go again,” Pacquiao said. “It is not about the belt, it’s about the honor of my country.”
Pacquiao has veritable rock-star status in his native Philippines, where he ran, and lost, in a bid for Congress and where he also makes movies. He has left his homeland to train for the Marquez fight at Hollywood’s Wild Card Gym, owned by his famed trainer, Freddie Roach.
“This rivalry between a Mexican and Filipino is good for boxing,” Roach said. “This is going to be a huge fight.”
Marquez said he feels the same nationalistic pressure from his countrymen, who have dubbed him “The Last Mexican Standing.”
“There is so much pride,” Marquez said. “There is so much feeling in me. I want so badly to beat Manny.”
Since their last fight, Marquez has fought seven times with one loss — a 12-round decision to Indonesia’s Chris John. He won the super featherweight title from Barrera a year ago.
If Pacquiao beats Marquez, he would capture his third world championship in three weight classes, previously holding the flyweight and junior featherweight titles.
If Marquez wins, he would capture something even bigger — a legacy. “Maybe before I was put in the shadows,” he said. “But I will demonstrate that I fight with heart and soul.” (With a report from AP)
