Pacquiao vs. Marquez: Veteran Marquez Needs a Knockout Just as Much as Pac-Man

No fighter has beaten Manny Pacquiao twice. In fact, there are only three fighters who are lucky enough to have beaten Pac-Man once.

Juan Manuel Marquez is not so sure. He's fought Pac-Man twice. And in his mind, he's beaten him twice.

To make sure his point was loud and clear, Marquez went ahead and put it on a T-shirt:

Now, Marquez had to have known when he decided to spread the word that he was going to piss Pac-Man off. And sure enough, he did. As we get closer and closer to their third bout next Saturday, it's becoming more and more clear that Pac-Man is taking this fight very personally. Despite the fact Marquez actually hasn't beaten him in two tries, Pac-Man pretty much wants revenge.

If you prefer to listen to the peanut gallery, what Pac-Man really needs in order to settle things once and for all is a knockout. His first fight with Marquez ended in a draw, and the second ended in a split decision in his favor. Both finishes were (and still are) controversial, and that's why Marquez is able to claim he won both fights without being deemed a hopeless lunatic.

By the time this trilogy is concluded, there must be no doubts. If Pac-Man really wants to set the record straight, he must knock out Marquez.

If you ask me, though, the vice versa also works. I'm not going to argue that a knockout will help Pac-Man prove a point, but Marquez absolutely needs a knockout in order to prove his.

The reasoning is largely similar. While you can see where Marquez, 38, is coming from when he goes around running his mouth about how he beat Pac-Man twice, the records tell a different story than his mouth (and his wardrobe). He may not sound like a hopeless lunatic, but he does sound delusional.

If Marquez were to get in the ring next Saturday and proceed to knock Pac-Man out, the reaction would be something like a collective "Wow..."

And then, shortly after: "I guess he was right."

Let's say there are no knockouts. Instead, let's imagine what would happen if Marquez took Pac-Man to the limit again, and then won via a decision. He would certainly have his revenge, but there is no escaping the feeling that his victory wouldn't be 100 percent convincing.

In other words, another decision would be another controversy.

That just won't do. This fight needs a definitive end, and that's why you're hearing so much clamoring for a knockout. That would leave nothing up to interpretation.

If Marquez is the one who gets it, don't be surprised if he starts wearing a shirt that reads: "I Knocked Out Pac-Man."

Presumably, that shirt would also piss Pac-Man off. But hey, he wouldn't be able to argue. Same goes for the rest of us.