The third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez should be an easy sale. But while the pay-per-view broadcast it headlines on Nov. 12 will sell well, the main event itself will take some heavy persuasion for a number of boxing fans to see it as anything other than a clear favorite against an absolute underdog.
Consider only their first two fights, and those odds are, well, odd.
Pacquiao-Marquez 1 was a dramatic tilt, the highlights of which have been well chronicled in the seven-and-a-half years since: Pacquiao knocking Marquez down three times in the first round, then Marquez adjusting and battling back. The fight improbably went the full 12 rounds, ending as a controversial draw.
Pacquiao-Marquez II, which took place three-and-a-half years ago, was another spirited battle, and once again the scorecards represented that: It was a split decision, with one point providing the margin of victory for Pacquiao.
The third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez should be an easy sell, then. Yet the fight is not between who Pacquiao and Marquez were then, but rather between who they are now.
They both remain at the top of this sweet science, Pacquiao among the best in the welterweight division, Marquez the reigning, legitimate lightweight champion.
Pacquiao, though, is a welterweight, having grown and conditioned his body, retaining enough of his speed and power that he can remain competitive within the 147-pound weight class.
Marquez, already small within the 135-pound division, is not made to be a welterweight, nor has he shown the ability to even be competent as one.
Their pay-per-view will pull in tens of millions of dollars. It is a big fight between two noteworthy fighters. It is an event. It is a bout with the benefit of a back-story.
It is a mismatch.
And though that will not significantly affect the number of people buying into the broadcast, an effort is still being made to make people buy into the battle.
In this sport, such salesmanship is called promotion.
