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Four years after their Fight of the Year in 2004, Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao renew their rivalry over 12 rounds in Las Vegas this Saturday night. At stake at the Mandalay Bay is Marquez’s WBC Super Featherweight World Championship.
Their first fight in May 2004 was an absolute classic. Marquez, the gritty smart champion at featherweight, survived three first round knockdowns against his buzzsaw opponent, battling his way to a drawn verdict and keeping his featherweight belts.
Their rematch is at four pounds heavier and to be honest, the rise in weight hasn’t affected either man so far.
Marquez the champion has defeated all-time great Marco Antonio Barrera and credible challenger Rocky Juarez over 12 rounds. Pacquiao has twice beaten Mexican legend Erik Morales and decisioned the aforementioned Barrera, scoring his second win over the “Baby Faced Assassin”.
Like last week’s fight in London, this from the outset is a tough one to call. Although we could foresee David Haye’s swift win last weekend, it was a fight beforehand that you could have been forgiven for thinking that Haye would be stopped early, too.
In analysing this one, I see a longer fight, although picking a winner is just as tough. Pacquiao, we know, will be busy and looking for angles straight from the first bell. Marquez, like last time, will rely on his boxing smarts and grit.
Like last week too, this is a fight that has fight of the year potential stamped all over it. Both men are coming into this one with big wins over Barrera in the last 12 months and superstardom beckons for Marquez if he can pull this one out of the bag.
I’m gonna go for Pacquiao to get the win this time due to his busy hustling, possibly going the distance again, but at the risk of repeating myself, I say this prediction without any conviction!
