Manny Pacquiao Will Knockout Juan Manuel Marquez Within Five Rounds November 12

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com Tuesday that WBC and WBO super welterweight world champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao is tentatively slated to defend his crowns against WBA, WBO and The Ring lightweight titlist “Dinamita” Juan Manuel Marquez for a third time November 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

In order to cement his lucrative bout at 144 pounds with Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs), Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) must trump “Dangerous” David Diaz July 2 in Mexico City.

"He's (Marquez) going to do that fight, and if he loses, he's out," Arum said.

Pacquiao, the first pugilist to win 10 world crowns in eight different weight classes, battered Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) and emerged victorious by ninth round TKO when they scrapped in June 2008.

“Pac-Man,” boxing’s pound-for-pound royalty, last fought May 7 when he utterly outclassed a spent “Sugar” Shane Mosley to earn a lopsided unanimous decision victory and win his 14^th consecutive bout. 

The two prior prizefights pitting Pacquiao against Marquez were suspenseful and scintillating affairs.

Marquez, a Mexican-born boxer who captured eight world crowns in three different weight classes, battled Pacquiao to a draw to retain his WBA and IBF featherweight titles in May 2004.

Nearly four years later in March 2008, Pacquiao narrowly escaped Marquez and managed to swipe the WBC super featherweight crown from “Dinamita” with a controversial split decision triumph.

"It's the same old story -- styles make fights, and, for some reason, I believe if we fight Marquez 10 times, we will have controversy 10 times because he's figured something out about Manny that no other fighter can do," Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's adviser, told ESPN.com. "We've had him down three times, but he's able to adapt and adjust. I think it will be a very close fight again.”

Marquez, rated by Ring Magazine as the No. 5 pound-for-pound pugilist in the world, is still a worthy adversary at the relatively advanced age of 37.

“Dinamita” retained his belts with an emphatic ninth-round TKO conquest over Michael Katsidis last November.

Unfortunately for Marquez, he can no longer physically compete with Pacquiao.

“Pac-Man” has greatly refined his fight game since he began working with Dedham’s Freddie Roach and he is a far superior boxer than he was only three years ago.

Juan Manuel Marquez is an aging legend on the downside of his glittering career.

Conversely, Manny Pacquiao is a thriving icon currently performing at the apex of his abilities.

In 2011, Pacquiao will bloody, floor and finish Marquez within five rounds.