Manny Pacquiao: Boxing Great Will Benefit from Marquez's Heavy Lifting

You would think that bulking up before a fight could only be a good thing.

But Juan Manuel Marquez may be hurting himself in the process.

Marquez, who battled Manny Pacquiao to a draw and lost a split-decision in their first two fights, is treating their third fight on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas as his defining moment—whether he will go down as a great fighter or a legend.

That has him looking like more of a bodybuilder than a boxer, and even had Alex Ariza of Team Pacquiao speculating he was working under Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt's team.

Now, Ariza certainly isn't going to say anything good about Marquez, but he may be onto something when he says Marquez's bulk could work against him.

Said Ariza, via The Philippine Star:

"

“You never know, I mean, I’m not in his camp so I can’t speak, but I would never get my guy that big that fast because, you know, you never know how they’re going to respond to carrying that kind of weight when it comes to a fight.”

"

And with that, Ariza hit the nail on the head.

Pacquiao has built himself up throughout the years, being careful not to add too much muscle before one fight so it doesn't feel unnatural.

By working out heavily before the fight of his life, Marquez could ironically be setting himself up to fail because his balance, movement and boxing motion could be altered slightly.

It's one thing to train, it's quite another when you stand in that ring opposite one of the true greats of the sport.

Marquez has become one of Pacquiao's toughest opponents over the years, if not the toughest. And he did it without bulking up too much before the fights. Why change now?

The brevity of a fight can play with a boxer's mind. It can make him overthink and do things he ordinarily wouldn't do.

Marquez appears to be falling into this trap and it could sink him in the end.