Pacquiao vs Marquez: Fight Has No Chance of Living Up to Hype

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will meet for the third time next Saturday, and it's hard to imagine the fight living up to the extraordinary hype it has already generated. Pacquiao is a heavy favorite and should make it look easy against the aging Marquez.

Ronnie Nathanielsz of the Philippine Daily Inquirer explains how the Pacquiao camp could be self-generating some of the hoopla.

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Maybe, just maybe, Pacquiao, who is himself an astute businessman no matter what people may think, wishes to give the impression that Marquez is a tougher opponent the third time around and wants to make sure that the November showdown is far removed from even a tinge of controversy.

In the process, he helps build interest, if not excitement, which hopefully will up the pay-for-view numbers and help keep the cash register ringing endlessly.

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It's an excellent point. Pac-Man needs as much interest in the fight as possible to help keep his brand fresh and growing. He doesn't want it to seem like he's facing an inferior opponent just to cash a big paycheck.

Not only would that be frowned upon by the boxing community, but it would also give Floyd Mayweather, Jr. more ammunition in the ongoing verbal war between the two camps.

So building Marquez into a more formidable opponent than he actually is will help boost interest in the fight and will make Pac-Man look even stronger should he score a knockout. It's a win-win situation for the WBO World Welterweight Title holder.

However, it's not such a good thing for boxing fans.

Everybody is expecting an epic clash that will go down as one of the most memorable fights in recent memory, but that isn't likely to occur. Instead, the Fighting Pride of the Philippines will probably dominate the entire bout and leave people wondering why they spent so much cash to watch it.

Coupled with the controversial endings of some recent fights, it's no surprise boxing continues to slip off the national sports radar. The rise of MMA and more specifically UFC doesn't help, either.

The only fight that could help revitalize boxing right now would be Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, but that appears to be slipping away with each passing day. So the sport must play the waiting game and hope some new stars emerge over the next few years.

Overhyped bouts like Pac-Man vs. Dinamita simply aren't good enough to save the sport.