By Don Stewart
For all the damage he’s done to the Mexican fight game, Manny Pacquiao is probably the most popular non-Mexican fighter in that country. In seven straight bouts, and 10 his last 11, the Filipino slugger has fought a Mexican opponent. He’s sent the beloved Marco Antonio Barrera into retirement, and punched hero Erik Morales to the brink of it.
While Pacquiao’s superstardom has come largely at the expense of Mexican fighters, “Pac-Man†doesn’t wear that fact on his sleeve as, say, Roger Mayweather once did long before unintentionally cracking us up on HBO’s 24/7. If Mayweather managed to dub himself “The Mexican Assassin†for stringing together some decent wins in the late-’80s, think of what kind of nickname Pacquiao could carry.
But for the most part, Pacquiao has always let his fists speak for themselves. His swarming, aggressive style has helped make him one of the biggest draws in the sport, so there’s no need to antagonize anyone to sell tickets. In turn, devoted Mexican fans have actually developed an admiration for the man who has given them so much heartache.
“I think they respect Manny Pacquiao,†said Telefutura analyst Bernardo Osuna. “To do what he’s done against the best Mexican fighters of his generation speaks to his tenacity. The working man can’t help but love Manny Pacquiao. He’s not that charmed guy who has had everything handed to him on a platter. He goes out there against guys who are supposedly there to outclass him and comes through every time.â€
But this is a pride sport, after all, and Mexican fans in particular are fiercely devoted to their own. So never in his career has Juan Manuel Marquez had the chance to win over his countrymen as he will on March 15 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where he’ll tangle with Pacquiao for THE RING’s junior lightweight championship of the world.
It’s a sensational matchup, a potential Fight of the Year candidate pitting two of the top three pound-for-pound fighters. And it could take on added meaning in Marquez’ native country.
“I am Mexican, and I support Mexicans,†said Barrera, who also has a rooting interest as a partner in Golden Boy Promotions. “Manny Pacquiao is a very good friend, but I will come to support Juan Manuel.â€
While Pacquiao’s style has even earned him adoration south of the Rio Grande, Marquez has never developed into a top draw thanks partially to a more clever counter-punching approach that has sometimes turned off Mexican fans. The talented Marquez can be fun to watch, but he’s never been the blood-and-guts type warrior Morales and Barrera were for much of their careers.
But perhaps more than his style, Marquez has been held back by a lack of opportunity. While the Pacquiao-Barrera-Morales three-way rivalry dominated the featherweight landscape, Marquez always seemed to be the odd man out. To be fair, some of it was thanks to poor management decisions.
In 2000, he turned down a bout with Naseem Hamed. Barrera wound up stepping in and obliterating the “Prince†in a performance that revived his career. Four years later, Marquez was advised to step away from a rematch with Pacquiao and the $750,000 purse offered by then-promoter Top Rank. Marquez wound up dropping a decision to Chris John in Indonesia for $30,000.
Before finally getting a shot at Barrera last March, Marquez’ biggest opportunity came in his first meeting with Pacquiao, back in ’04. “Dinamita†looked unready for prime time initially as Pacquiao exploited his early mistakes in scoring three first-round knockdowns. But Marquez survived, then began to solve Pacquiao after a few rounds. He outboxed Pacquiao down the stretch to earn a 12-round draw in a verdict that could have gone either way.
Now 34, Marquez, 48-3-1 (35), is apparently getting that now-or-never feeling that usually seems to come too late in this sport (see Roy Jones Jr.). When Pacquiao, 45-3-2 (35), was close to moving up to 135 pounds to meet Morales conqueror David Diaz, Marquez agreed to take a smaller cut of the purse to get the deal done.
“For Marquez, this was not about money, no question about it,†Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael. “It was about him standing up there and showing all the Mexicans that, ‘Hey, you know that this guy beat two legends, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, but now I’m going to show Pacquiao what Mexican fighters are all about.’ That is what motivates him. He knows with a victory over Pacquiao that his name will be considered right there with Morales and Barrera.â€
It’s a historic fight, and not just for nationalistic reasons. The title has been vacant since the institution of The Ring championship policy in 2002. Harold Gomes, who outpointed Paul Jorgensen in 1959, was the last universally recognized 130-pound champ, though the linear title was passed around until Brian Mitchell retired with it in 1991.
“I think it really irks Marquez that he let that first rematch get away over petty conditions that were thrown about,†Osuna said. “If he doesn’t take this opportunity now, he’ll never get this opportunity again. He sees Manny moving up in weight or getting other fights. He wanted to seize the opportunity. You have to do it now because it may be too late, or it may never happen.â€
But will he seize the moment March 15?
It could come down to which fighter has developed more in the past four years. If that’s the case, then it will be a big night for Pacquiao. Under the guidance of trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao has grown into more of a multi-dimensional threat, not that he was ever considered strictly one-dimensional at the championship level.
Roach called the first Pacquiao-Marquez clash a “very poor fight†for Pacquiao. After enjoying so much success with his left hand in the opening round, the southpaw Pac-Man relied on it throughout the rest of the fight. Roach said that tact made his fighter an easy target for Marquez’ quick counters.
“Marquez is a very good counterpuncher,†Roach said. “The first time they fought, Manny was just throwing the left, and he was countering that shot all night long. I think it was pretty simple for him. He’s been a little more aggressive [lately]. I don’t know if that’s because he’s slowing down and can’t counter or if he’s trying to make himself more marketable.â€
Though he’s coming off decisive 12-round wins against Barrera and Rocky Juarez, Marquez might be at the start of that gradual downslope all fighters reach at some point. His power seems to be a bit diminished from where it was four years ago. As for Marquez’ vaunted hand speed, though, it didn’t appear to be diminished in his November 3 drubbing of Juarez.
As for Pacquiao, punishment in and out of the ring could be taking its toll on his 29-year-old body. Last April, after facing his share of distractions and training disruptions, he got a tougher-than-expected challenge from previously unbeaten Jorge Solis, who eventually fell in eight. Six months later, Pacquiao won a comfortable decision in his rematch with Barrera, the same fighter he stopped impressively four years earlier.
Part of the blame for Pacquiao’s pedestrian performance in the Barrera fight might have been his struggle to make the 130-pound limit. Whether it was a reflection of his motivation heading into a second meeting with a guy he’d already demolished, or simply a failure to properly monitor his weight after moving camp from the Philippines to Los Angeles (as Roach claims), only Pacquiao knows.
There was talk of staging Pacquiao-Marquez II at a catchweight above 130, but the Pacquiao camp decided to take the bout at the junior lightweight limit to ensure it would be for the title. Roach said in early-December that he’s planning a 10-week training camp, with the last eight weeks to be held at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
“Manny won’t look past this guy,†Roach said. “He knows this is the guy who gave him the hardest fight since he’s been in America, along with Agapito Sanchez in 2001. Marquez fought a great fight that night. Manny, I know he respects that. He knows he needs to work really hard for this fight.â€
While it seems that there’s more on the line for Marquez, Pacquiao has plenty at stake despite already being an established superstar. Pac-Man is reportedly looking to meet Diaz for a lightweight belt this summer, then possibly Oscar De La Hoya in the fall.
Barring the unlikelihood of a one-sided blowout, a loss to Marquez wouldn’t necessarily derail Pacquiao’s plans, but it would knock some luster off his name. And while his focus might be more on dollars than legacy at this point, a draw and a loss to Marquez would certainly affect Pacquiao’s standing among the all-time greats.
“The match itself is very dangerous for Manny,†said Bruce Trampler, the matchmaker for Pacquiao-promoter Top Rank. “He dropped the guy three times in the first round and had to fight for his life after that. You knock out that first round, and probably Marquez did more than Manny that first time.
“I think it’s his most dangerous fight. As for whether it’s the right fight, that’s Manny’s call. He was presented many options, and he selected this one. If he picked Marquez, maybe it was unfinished business. Which is fine. You have to respect that.â€
So will he gain more respect south of the border by beating another Mexican titlist? When pressed for a prediction, Barrera would only say that he’s supporting Marquez, and that Dinamita must go to the body and make better use of his hand speed against the quick Pacquiao. Osuna went a step further.
“I really do like Marquez,†he said. “He’s coming into this fight with everything. He made all the concessions necessary for this fight. It’s a pride fight for Marquez. If he can avoid making the mistakes he made the first time around, I can’t see Manny evolving enough in the last four years to overcome Marquez’ boxing skills.â€
It can be argued that Marquez has never really lost a fight; many thought he deserved the nod against Freddie Norwood in 1999, as well as against Pacquiao and John, and his other loss was a bizarre disqualification in his pro debut. Pacquiao has a better right hand than he did four years ago, but he won’t be able to match Marquez’ speed or savvy.
Pacquiao will pressure Marquez relentlessly and try to make it a brawl. He’ll have his moments, and could very well score a knockdown in the middle rounds. But Marquez, who has waited four years for this chance, won’t make the same mistakes he did early in the first fight. He’ll outwork and outbox Pacquiao to earn a 12-round decision and the biggest win of his career, though it might not be the blood-and-guts type of battle that will endear him to his countrymen or even take him to the next level as a mainstream star. Like many great artists, some fighters just seemed doom to excel without ever breaking through.
But when it’s time to talk about legacies and career significance, a win against Pacquiao will mean everything for Marquez.
“It would definitely validate what he and many in the boxing world believe, that he was on par with Morales and Barrera but never got the chances that they got,†Osuna said. “Doing what they couldn’t do to Manny Pacquiao would validate his career.â€
And maybe salvage some Mexican pride.
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