During today’s press conference in Los Angeles, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum got a bit heated when addressing the very idea that Juan Manuel Marquez’s extremely poor showing in his first fight north of 135 pounds against Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2009 would mean that his November 12 matchup with Manny Pacquiao would make for a bad fight.
“Let me tell you something. Let?s get real here. They have to make the weight at 144. When they go into the ring the night of the fight, they?ll be within one pound of each other,” said Arum. “Juan Manuel will probably be 147, 148, Manny will be the same thing. That?s the definitive weight that matters. It?s not like Manny is a middleweight who will weigh 144 at the weigh-in and then go into the ring at 160.”
“Today, sitting here, Manny is probably 148-149,” he continued. “So Alex Ariza?s job will be during the training to feed him enough food to maintain his weight. So the weight is not an issue. What?s an issue here is the increased skills of both fighters since they last fought, and who will have the advantage.”
Arum was insistent during the press conference that both have become better fighters since their last meeting in 2008.
