For a fight that has been eagerly anticipated for four years, as is Marquez/Pacquiao II. The importance and magnitude of the bout has been covered from every angle. So there is no need for me to attempt to add to that. Though, as I was thinking about this bout the other day, something kept haunting me.
A statement that Al Bernstein made almost two weeks ago during the broadcast of Vazquez/Marquez III; it went along the lines as during the trilogy it became obvious that Rafael Marquez was the more skilled fighter, but that Vazquez was the stronger fighter. I thought Bernstein?s assessment was dead on. It was Vazquez? strength that carried him in that epic trilogy and tipped history in his favor. That kept echoing in my head, that as skilled as Rafael is and he does have power, he just wasn?t strong enough to fend off Israel.
That haunting feeling left me thinking, was the last fight between those stellar super bantamweights a blueprint of what we are going to see this Saturday in the super featherweight division?
The biased side of me hopes not.
I?ll be the first to admit that I am a huge Juan Manuel Marquez fan. The way Juan uses angles and how varied his assaults are is absolutely enthralling to me. I have tried for some time to emulate his style in the gym, and I?m not that successful at it. There is a difference between a biased fan and an objective fan, and the latter is where I would like to believe I dwell.
Manny Pacquiao is as exciting a fighter the sport has and since his union with Freddie Roach, his boxing prowess has substantially improved. It was his power in the first fight with Juan Manuel that nearly put the Mexican away in the first round. However, it was Marquez? superior boxing skill that shone through from round three on that gave him the edge in their first encounter. Even though the fight was declared a draw, many ringside and at home thought Marquez did enough to win, me included. I will say it was Manny?s performance on that night that made me a fan of his.
So with a wicked right hook added to Pacquiao?s repertoire and a new found ability to box, is there any chance that we won?t see another Marquez valiantly come up a little short against a fighter that is just a little bit too strong for them? The answer quite possibly is no.
We all know that Juan Manuel faced a much different man on that night than he is facing this weekend. There is no way that the new Manny Pacquiao loses to the old Juan Manuel Marquez, but has Marquez changed his game too? A lethargic Marquez wandered over to Indonesia and made the mistake of leaving the outcome of the fight in the hands of the judges and he walked away with a loss to Chris John from a boring performance.
I?m guessing Juan and his people realized that something needed to change or his career would never amount to anything he had hoped or dreamed of. So when given the opportunity to show his goods on Showtime, Marquez battered Terdsak Jandaeng until Jay Nady showed him the mercy that Juan Manuel wouldn?t. That spectacular showing preceded his bloody battle with Jimrex Jaca, the poor man?s Manny Pacquiao.
Jaca head-butted ?El Dinamita? opening a horrific gash over his right eye, and referee Laurence Cole suggested that Marquez quit and let the bout go to the scorecards because he was probably ahead. Instead Marquez sent a left hook that detonated upon Jaca?s face and sent him senseless and confused to the mat. These were performances one would expect to see from Pacquiao. Couple those with the fact that Marquez hammered his way to an impressive victory over Marco Antonio Barrera while Manny boxed his way to accomplish the same task in his last outing.
So it is safe to say that Marquez is a different fighter now than he was four years ago when he last tussled with the Filipino buzz saw. In fact their successive fights with Marco Antonio Barrera is a microcosm of how each man has progressed as a fighter, but Barrera floored Marquez in an exciting war, and that might be the most telling part of both fights.
Juan Manuel Marquez may be a different fighter than he was in his youth, but whether his new style is the right style to fell Manny Pacquiao leaves even an ardent fan like myself skeptical. Will we see a replay of Vazquez/Marquez III? The objective side of me hopes so, because if that is the case, then everyone wins; well almost everyone.
