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After four years of waiting with bated breath, boxing fans will
finally get to see Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and Filipino Manny
Pacquiao rub mitts again. The rematch will take place Sunday at the
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas with Marquez’s World
Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title on the line.
The wait should not have been this long. After
their first meeting in May 2004 ended in a riveting draw, Marquez
walked away from a rematch that would have netted him $750,000.
Marquez inexplicably opted to defend his WBA/IBF featherweight
titles against sleaze bums, eventually losing the WBA portion in
March 2006 to Chris John for $30,000. The IBF didn’t bother to
wait for Marquez to defend its crown, stripping the Mexican of the
title in 2005 when the minimum $50,000 purse bid was not reached for
a mandatory title defense against Phafrakorb Rakkiatgym. Marquez had
become so unpopular nobody wanted to bid for a fight involving “Dinamita.”
In stark contrast, Pacquiao shifted into high
gear, taking on Mexican Erik Morales in a trilogy that earned for
both fighters the admiration of the boxing congregation.
Marquez was floating without a raft in the sea
of oblivion when he was saved by Oscar De La Hoya. Marquez signed up
with De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and returned to the win
column by stopping the previously unbeaten Terdsak Jandaeng in
August 2006. Marquez had gone 4-0 since losing to John, even beating
countryman Marco Antonio Barrera last year to win the WBC super
feather plum.
At age 34, Marquez is finally getting a second
shot at Pacquiao. The Mexican really has no other path to pursue.
When Pacquiao balked at Marquez’s demand for a bigger purse and
threatened to move up to the heavier lightweight division, the
Mexican was forced to swallow his pride and take a paycut. Pacquiao
is Marquez’s last chance at redemption. If he beats PacMan,
Marquez may finally be forgiven for his previous trespasses (i.e.,
avoiding a match with “Prince” Naseem Hamed in the mid-1990s by
feigning an injury, ducking Pacquiao and feasting on trialhorses).
Marquez remains one of the best counter punchers
in the sport. Except for the three knockdowns he suffered in the
opening round of the first meeting with Pacquiao, Marquez handled
himself well.
Unfortunately, many feel the best chance Marquez
had at beating PacMan came in the first fight. Dig this: If a prime
Marquez can only salvage a stalemate against a one-dimensional
Pacquiao in 2004, what chance can the Mexican have against the
Filipino who has since improved by leaps and bounds?
Marquez’s performances have been topsy-turvy
lately. He struggled against Filipino Jimrex Jaca before scoring a
one-punch knockout in November 2006. Against Barrera last year,
Marquez actually kissed the canvas, only it was ruled a slip.
Marquez’s skin has also become porous. He bled
against Pacquiao and was cut badly in the Jaca bout. As early as the
fifth round against Barrera, Marquez’s left eye was already
swelling.
Marquez’s skin will be tested as Pacquiao is
expected to stick to the Mexican like a deodorant. Pacquiao is
likely to throw punches in bunches to negate Marquez’s counter
punching ability. The best antidote against a counter puncher is not
to give him a chance to, well, counter.
To win, Marquez will have to take a page off the
strategy Barrera used against Pacquiao last October. The WBC
champion will have to keep the pace slow and Pacquiao at a safe
distance. Marquez is at his best sidestepping a wild rushing
Pacquiao; trapping the Filipino inside with short hooks to the body
and nailing the latter as he tries to disengage with overhand
rights. Against Oscar Larios and Jorge Solis, Pacquiao showed he was
a sucker for the overhand right.
Pacquiao is the favorite to prevail either by
decision or late-round stoppage. Marquez figures to be very
competitive though. Unlike Barrera who fought Pacquiao merely to
last the distance, Marquez will be fighting to win.
If Marquez ends up showing that he still has the
heart that allowed him to rise from three knockdowns in the first
meeting, “Unfinished Business” will make for an unforgettable
encounter.
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For comments, the writer can be reached at
atty_eduardo@ yahoo.com
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