Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4: Why Pac Man Will Lose His Second Fight in a Row

It looks as though the wait is over, Manny Pacquiao has finally settled on an opponent. The Filipino fighting phenom will take on his biggest rival, Juan Manuel Marquez, for a fourth time. 

I, for one, feel this is a bad fight for Manny and his Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach seems to agree. 

"I don’t like that fight," Roach recently told Norm Frauenheim of ringtv.com. "It’s a very difficult fight."’ 

All three previous fights have been hotly contested matchups. The first ended with a split decision draw, the second in a split decision win for Pacquiao, and their most recent matchup saw Pacquiao win by a majority decision. 

With the controversial nature of their previous three matchups, I firmly believe that Manny will have to win in dominating fashion. If it ends up in the judges’ hands, it will be hard for them not to give it to Marquez in a close fight. 

Manny seems to have slipped during the past few years while Marquez, despite his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. has not. The Mexican counterpuncher is not the same fighter he once was, but his skills certainly haven’t eroded as much as Manny’s. 

The reason for Manny’s decline in the ring is most likely tied to all of his out of the ring happenings. He’s a congressman in his native land, along with being a singer and actor as well as having his hands in a host of other endeavors. 

Manny, for whatever reason, is simply not the same fighter he once was and he needs to be at his very best both mentally and physically when he steps into the ring with his most threatening opponent. 

This fight will be Manny’s second loss in a row, as he will be counterpunched all night by the Mexican legend. I don’t expect Manny to be knocked out but I wouldn’t rule out a knockdown or two before he loses a 12-round decision. 

Whenever Manny faces Marquez, he seems lost and out of place in the ring.  It’s as though he forgets everything Roach has taught him over the years.  

Marquez makes Manny look like the one-handed fighter who burst onto the American boxing scene back in 2001, and not the ferociously skilled fighter who destroyed future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya and decimated junior welterweight kingpin Ricky Hatton. 

Some guys just have another’s number in boxing.  Ken Norton had Muhammad Ali’s, Antonio Tarver had Roy Jones’s, and Juan Manuel Marquez has Manny Pacquiao’s.