The Philippine Online Chronicles

There’s no question that the WBO welterweight title bout between eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao and three-time title holder Juan Manuel Marquez on November 13 is the most anticipated bout of the year.

The two last faced each other back in 2008 in the featherweight division when Pacquiao earned a highly controversial split decision win. Three years after their last meeting, both fighters have moved on in their respective boxing careers.

Pacquiao padded his resume by winning belts in the lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, and super welterweight division. During that time, the Filipino racked up wins against David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, and Shane Mosley. In just three years, Pacquiao won eight world titles in as many weight classes, becoming the first boxer in history to do so.

Marquez hasn’t done a bad job either because he’s now considered the best lightweight in the world. The 38-year old Mexican has steamrolled opponents like Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz, and Michael Katsidis since his epic battle with Pacquiao three years ago.

For all the marbles

The rivalry between Pacquiao and Marquez started when they first met in 2004. Back then, we saw a very raw Pacquiao against a prime Marquez.

In their first fight, Pacquiao came out of nowhere to put Marquez on the canvas three times in the opening round. However, Marquez, who is widely considered the “Maestro of counterpunching”, displayed his full boxing arsenal to almost solve the Pacquiao riddle. The judges ruled the bout a draw and with both sides claiming victory, the rivalry was born.

Four years after their first meeting, Pacquiao and Marquez faced each other again. Just like their first bout, it was as close as it could get, with both fighters trading punches like their lives depended on it. Pacquiao floored Marquez once and even if Marquez somewhat rallied with his otherworldly counterpunching ability, the Filipino superstar came out with a razor-thin split decision win.

Because of their history and rivalry, this is the fight that makes the most sense for both Pacquiao and Marquez. Both guys want to settle once and for all the questions regarding their first and second bouts.

To put it simply, there’s a lot of pressure for both fighters to deliver, and this third fight will surely put a lot of fans at the edge of their seats.

Pacquiao vs. Marquez Head-to-Head

Skills

Make no mistake, both fighters are among the most skilled boxers today. Marquez’s punching accuracy is well-documented and he makes his opponents pay dearly with his legendary counterpunching skills. What’s even more amazing is that Marquez’s ring generalship doesn’t seem to erode even if he’s already 38 years old.

Pacquiao on the other hand, has improved tremendously under the tutelage of Freddie Roach. Before, the Filipino boxing sensation simply relied on his punching power and athleticism. Now, he has learned to punch in the weirdest angles while using his amazing footwork to put everything he has in every punch thrown. Both fighters have a ton of experience under their belts and they will need everything they know in the boxing ring to pull off a win on Sunday.

Advantage: Even

Power

Although Marquez bloodied Pacquiao’s face during their last two encounters, and he has knocked out formidable opponents in the lightweight division, it’s pretty obvious he couldn’t carry that power in the welterweight division.

Marquez has only fought once as a welterweight, when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr., and we all witnessed how slow and sloppy he was in that fight.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao has proven that he can bring his power to the higher weight classes with the performance he put up against bigger fighters like Cotto, Margarito, and Mosley. That said, the power category belongs to Pacquiao by a landslide.

Advantage: Pacquiao

Speed

Again, the issue with Marquez is that he does look like he’s got quicksand under his feet as a welterweight. Marquez is actually a natural lightweight/featherweight and by moving up in weight to face the Pacman, he’s going to lose a lot of speed.

Pacquiao has proven that he’s capable of bringing his speed in the higher weight class and that’s going to be a huge problem that Marquez needs to solve.

Advantage: Pacquiao

Defense

Seeing how both guys slugged it out in their first two fights, we know that both of them are going to stand in there and bang. Pacquiao’s defensive ability has improved immensely over the years, but if there’s anyone who can tag him accurately, it has to be Marquez. The Mexican’s ability to counter so effectively is his biggest defensive ability and it has given Pacquiao problems in their fights.

Advantage: Marquez

Stamina

Both guys are coming into Sunday’s bout prepared as in their past two meetings. Though Pacquiao has some issues outside the ring prior to this fight, he has always been able to handle them. Marquez’s age and the added weight moving up are going to play a big factor in his conditioning.  Pacquiao meanwhile has been so comfortable in the welterweight division that it’s unlikely that he’s going to run out of gas in this 12-round affair.

Advantage: Pacquiao

Corner

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach and Marquez’s chief tactician Nacho Beristain are two of the most accomplished trainers in the sport. Roach has trained 11 boxing champions while Beristain has mentored 17 title holders. Both men know boxing like the backs of their hands and will play a major role in leading their respective fighters to victory.

Advantage: Even

Chin

Marquez has never been stopped in his career while Pacquiao has lost via knockout twice when he was still a teenager. The interesting story is that Pacquiao is responsible for flooring Marquez three times in their first two meetings. Pacquiao can take punishment from bigger guys ever since he stepped into the welterweight and super welterweight division. Marquez on the other hand, has already been knocked down by Mayweather and Katisidis. At this stage of their career, Pacquiao certainly has a better and stronger chin.

Advantage: Pacquiao

Fight Prediction

Pacquiao and Marquez have fought for a total of 24 grueling and brutal rounds. Though Marquez will be a game fighter in the early rounds, Pacquiao’s otherworldly power and speed will be too much for him in the later rounds. Marquez also has to deal with his added weight that will surely slow him down.

In spite of that, Marquez will land solid blows that would surely hurt or even wobble Pacquiao during the fight. The reality however is that Pacquiao has grown accustomed to fighting bigger and stronger fighters in the welterweight division while Marquez is going into a territory that is out of his comfort zone.

The key for Pacquiao is to make as few mistakes as possible, because Marquez will capitalize on them. Marquez on the other hand, cannot afford to become too aggressive because Pacquiao will make him pay if he finds the right openings.

The main thing that Marquez has to worry about is that if he’s still quick enough to counterpunch Pacquiao. The Filipino boxing champ is in a completely new level right now and with his ability to find the right angles using his superb footwork, athleticism, and power, it would be a mild surprise if the Mexican can hang in there until the final round.

All things considered, Pacquiao will win the fight via unanimous decision while knocking Marquez once or twice along the way.