Pacquiao vs. Marquez: 10 Reasons Marquez Might Have an Outside Shot

With the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez rubber match less than a month away, most of the chatter around the fight is how Pacquiao will win the fight, but Marquez has enough of a shot to warrant some talk himself.

Here are the 10 reason's that Marquez has an outside shot to pull the upset and give Pacquiao his first loss in over six years.

Past History

In the first two fights between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, Marquez gave Pacquiao everything he could handle—and some even feel Marquez won the first fight that ended up in a draw—, so thinking this fight will be any different would be a mistake.

Look for the third installment of the series between Pacquiao and Marquez to be close contest as well, with the winner being ahead by less than three points on the scorecards after the full 12 rounds are complete.

Marquez Has the Speed to Bother Pacquiao

Juan Manuel Marquez has demonstrated that he has the hand speed to bother Manny Pacquiao in their two previous fights and will again in their third bout.

Marquez has out-landed Pacquiao in both of their two previous fights, and I feel that he will in the rubber match as well.

As the first two bouts have shown us, even though Marquez out-lands Pacquiao it doesn't guarantee a win, but it will help, especially if more power shots are thrown by Marquez.

Marquez's Counter Punching Fighting Style Will Bother Pacquiao

Juan Manuel Marquez displayed that his exceptional counter punching is something that gives Manny Pacquiao problems, ones that are tough to prepare for.

With Pacquiao usually being the aggressor in his fights, it sets up the perfect opportunity for Marquez to us his defensive style to his advantage.

Pacquiao can spend all the time he wants preparing for Marquez's counter punching but the reality is that once he steps in the ring with Marquez all the preparation in the world won't make the fight any easier than the first two for Pacquiao.

Marquez's Jab

Juan Manuel Marquez uses his jab effectively and it can play a key role on him beating Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez using his jab to keep Pacquiao at bay will not only help himself from not being hit as much, but it will also help Marquez frustrate Pacquiao, which could lead to Pacquiao taking bigger chances to land punches on Marquez and get him hit with a power shot or two that can end the fight early.

Pacquiao Being Too Aggressive Trying to Win by KO

After two close fights with controversy that one should of went in Juan Manuel Marquez's favor and the other fight thought to be a draw, Manny Pacquiao could very well be looking to knockout Marquez out, which Marquez could use to his own advantage.

If Marquez can utilize his counter punching and time out that perfect counter power shot he could catch Pacquiao as he is gunning for a KO victory and earn a KO victory himself.

Nothing would be more satisfying for Marquez than a knockout victory over Pacquiao, a fighter that he seems to not be able to win a decision over.

Pacquiao Being Distracted from Negative Media Attention

With reports surfacing on websites like TMZ that Manny Pacquiao owes accountants he hired to help him get out of some trouble he had with paying his taxes and then not paying them for their services and money they let Pac-Man borrow, could clog his mind up and prevent him from focusing on the fight as intense as he usually does.

Pacquiao is usually in the news for positive reasons, and the negativity being hurled his way could mess with his concentration, and in turn put a less focused Pacquiao in the ring with Juan Manuel Marquez, giving Marquez the upper hand right out of the gates.

Possible Money Problems on Acquiao's Mind

It would make sense that the focus of the negative reports, the possible money issues of Manny Pacquiao, could also be weighing down Pacquiao's concentration, and set him up for being less focused on the fight at hand.

If Pacquiao is in deed in some sort of financial bind, he could have momentary mental lapses in the ring, setting up opportunities for Juan Manuel Marquez to take advantage of Pacquiao, and set up big scoring rounds, or a knockout in the process.

Pacquiao Changing Up His Training Camp

Manny Pacquiao has reportedly changed his training up for the Juan Manuel Marquez fight, and his shift from his usual training camp could prove to cause problems for Pac-Man Marquez the edge on their fight.

Part of boxing training is built around muscle and movement memory, so changing up Pacquiao's usual training habits could prove detrimental to his performance in the ring.

Any small advantage Marquez can gain against Pacquiao could push him over the edge he could not get over in the first two installments of their fighting saga, and could give Marquez the win he felt he deserved all along.

Marquez Demonstrated He Still Has KO Power

In Juan Manuel Marquez's last fight back in July of this year he showed he still has KO power with a big first-round knockout of Likar Ramos.

All it will take is that perfect opportunity to land that one punch and Manny Pacquiao could very well be knocked out by Marquez, especially with Marquez's ability to counter punch so well.

Marquez Using Past Questionable Decisions as Motivation

One thing that can motivate someone, especially a fighter is motivation and Juan Manuel Marquez has twice the motivation to beat Manny Pacquiao in their rubber match.

If Marquez can put the two past fights were he felt he was screwed behind him and use them as a source of motivation to make sure he does enough in the ring to convince the judges that he, not Pacquiao is the winner the third time a around.

There are more than enough reasons to believe that Marquez can win this fight against Pacquiao, but it will remain to be seen if any of these possibilities come to fruition in the ring on November 12th.