BEVERLY HILLS – This time, Manny Pacquiao wants to leave no doubt.
Philippine Congressman and consensus pound-for-pound boxing world champion Pacquiao and former Mexican champion and long-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez will meet again, in what many consider to be an epic trilogy, a welterweight championship bout on November 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
And for Pacquiao, who has spent years dealing with armchair boxing analysts who say he lost the two previous fights he had against Marquez, he?s taking it personal.
When asked about Team Marquez?s antics of wearing shirts with ?We Were Robbed? on it during the Philippines press tour and telling anyone within an earshot that Marquez deserved the victory over the Filipino in their first two meetings, Pacquiao dipped and shook his head in disappointment before answering diplomatically.
?For me, it?s okay that they [Team Marquez] say that Marquez won but we?ll see in this fight,? said Pacquiao to the Asian Journal during the Pacquiao-Marquez press conference held at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Wednesday.
?This third fight will answer all those questions.?
Pacquiao took the high road in his answer but those close to Pacquiao know those lingering questions and doubt against Marquez eat him up inside.
?He really wants to win this fight badly,? said strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza. ?I was supposed to leave for the Philippines next week for training camp but Pacquiao insists I go tomorrow night (September 8). Manny is serious. He told me he wants me to get him bigger and faster for this fight. He told me it?s personal. He wants to leave no doubts.?
Trainer Freddie Roach has also grown tired of Marquez?s antics.
For the past two years, Roach has been saying that he wanted Pacquiao to fight Marquez again, ?just to shut them up.?
?I think Manny has a dislike of what they did when they came to the Philippines with the ?We Were Robbed? t-shirts and saying they won the [other] fights. I mean, they came all the way to the Philippines to cry and cried about how they got robbed,? said Roach.
?I think that was a slap in the face of Manny and I think when Manny hurts him, he?s going to finish him this time. They gave us that motivation to knock him out.?
