Geoff JohnsonManny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will square off for the fourth time this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, N.V. in one of the best recent rivalries in boxing.
Pacquio has a 2-0-1 record in the series, but the last two fights have been surrounded by tremendous controversies, and not many people think Manny should have won them.
Both are solid boxing studs, but there Marquez undoubtedly has Pac-man’s number; he is more technical and a stronger fighter despite the Filipino is quicker.
“In working with Angel, I’ve changed everything,” Marquez said about hiring Angel Guillermo “Memo” Heredia as his strength and conditioning coach. “I feel great. I feel great because I’ve had a 20-year career and I did it the same way for 18 years. But now, Angel has changed everything”.
This fight is more important than the last three,” Marquez said of Saturday’s non-title welterweight bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “Because it’s for my legacy. The honor. The pride.
“For everything,” Marquez said.
Pacman wants to get rid of the controversies and end up with Marquez once and for all.
“I am giving him a chance to prove he can win the fight because he thought he has won all three and he keeps talking about it,” said Pacquiao, who lost a decision to Timothy Bradley in June. “So it is very important to me to win this fight, especially since Marquez really wanted this fight.”
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, N.V.
When: Saturday, Dec. 8 at 9 p.m. ET
Watch: HBO PPV
Live Stream: TopRank.com
Boxing odds: Pacquiao as the favorite listed -270 and Marquez at +210.
