Juan Manuel Marquez: 'Manny Knows I Beat Him Twice'

Mexican counter puncher Juan Manuel Marquez should be commended for his ability and perseverance to bag a third fight with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao despite being turned down many times in the past.

After their second encounter in 2008, Marquez said he wants a third fight with Pacquiao to set the record straight and to prove to the world who is the better fighter.

Not contented with his success in getting a third fight with Pacquiao, Marquez continued with his media blitz, telling boxing fans he beat Pacquiao twice.

In 2004, Marquez and Pacquiao fought on a split draw in a featherweight limit of 126 lbs. The truth is Pacquiao should have won on a split decision if not for an scoring error committed by one of the judges who scored a round at 10-7 instead of 10-6 for Marquez's three knockdowns. 

In 2008, fighting on a super featherweight limit of 130 lbs, Marquez and Pacquiao clashed in a hotly contested rematch with Pacquiao earning a split decision with a third round knockdown which clinched the fight in his favor.

Again Marquez claimed he was cheated in the scoring saying he dominated the fight in the later rounds.

Despite Marquez's assertions on his fighting styles, Pacquiao said he has not noticed any major changes in him.  

"This fight will answer all doubts. There have been a lot of changes in me since those first two fights," said Pacquiao. "I learned a lot of different techniques. I improved my power and I now have a right hand."

"I want to prove him wrong - that I won the first two fights," said Pacquiao, "and the timing seems right to do this one more time in November."

Still, Marquez asserts his style is most difficult for Pacquiao to figure out. He said Pacquiao has been fighting opponents who are slow movers. 

"Those guys are too slow. His biggest asset is his speed. He comes at you so fast that you don’t know what to do. You can’t figure it out. But I’ve figured it out. I know what to do."

On the issue of weight and mobility, Marquez said he needs to add weight but added that the extra weight should not contribute to his loss of speed.

"I think I have to be the same way I was at 130 and 135 pounds. I have to add the weight, but not lose my speed. I need that speed. Every time he engages you have to be faster than him.

"I have to hit him hard enough so he knows he’s in the ring with me. I believe I hit him enough the first two times that I can get him. I just have to get him."

Marquez has been telling the world how he trashed Pacquiao twice in the previous encounters but the fighting congressman says he will prove him wrong on November 12.

Pacquiao stakes his WBO welterweight title on an agreed  catch weight limit of 144 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. Marquez is guaranteed a $5 million paycheck, the biggest in his fighting career.