By Andy Byles
Oh absolutely! I keep reading all these articles where the writers are putting down the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight. Everyone is saying Marquez has no chance at the proposed catch weight of 144-pounds. Lets face it. Marquez has no chance no matter what the agreed weight is. But this fight has something that some of Pacquiao’s earlier fights did not…EXCITEMENT! One thing is for certain. Marquez will come to fight…especially after what happened with their last two fights together. Unlike Joshua Clottey and Sugar Shane Mosley, JMM will try. At least this fight will have some action.
Still, people are upset that this fight is taking place. I just have to ask “why”? Who is Pacquiao supposed to fight? There is nobody out there that is going to be competitive. Floyd Mayweather is it. And Floyd don’t want no part of Manny. That is the truth. All you Mayweather fans can say what you want, but Floyd is scared and wants NO part of the Pac-man. Plain and simple. I wish that he did. I want to see this fight just as much as anyone. The only other fighter out there would be Sergio Martinez. But he is just too big and it would be a huge unfair advantage for this fight to be made.
So, back to Marquez. Here is what I think JMM needs to do for this fight. First off, forget the catch weight. Marquez’s only chance is to come into the fight weighing his ideal weight…probably about 135. Pacquiao will probably weigh 145. Yes, this seems like a big advantage for Manny, but it really isn’t. Marquez is much faster without that extra weight…and he’s going to need all of his speed. We all saw what happened to him with that weight when he fought Floyd Mayweather. It was a disaster.
He can’t stand and throw toe-to-toe with Manny. Duh. Pacquiao is much stronger and a much better puncher since they last fought. This fight will be over before it begins if JMM goes into it with that strategy. He’s gonna have to be defensive and pick his shots and keep moving his feet. Hopefully the fight will last till at least round eight.
Unlike the previous two fights with them, we won’t have to worry about a decision with this fight. Unless Marquez decides to do something totally different and run the whole time (which I don’t think he will), this will end with JMM getting knocked out. Pac is just too strong now and he’s used to fighting naturally bigger men. One thing is for certain…it promises to be a more exciting fight than what we’ve seen lately from Pacquiao’s opponents.
Lastly. We just need to be happy that Manny is still fighting. There are no active fighters in the sport who can hang with him. That isn’t his fault (or maybe it is…). He is just too good. All we can hope for is someone who can make the fights competitive. Perhaps Ortiz or Bradley can do that someday. I’m pretty sure Marquez can. As long as he comes in at the lower weight.
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Born in New London, Ct. He currently resides in Va.Beach, Va with his wife and young daughter. He is a graduate of Virginia Wesleyan college with a B.A. in business. Being a New England native, Andy is an avid Red Sox fan. Other favorite sports include Boxing and Football. Andy is very opinionated and loves to share his views with the world.
Favorite Boxer – Kostya Tszyu
Other hobbies – Bass guitar