Pacquiao vs. Marquez: Marquez Victory Will Not Be Considered an Upset

How quickly we forget. 

We are so used to Manny Pacquiao destroying the face and egos of some pretty good fighters that we fail to remember what Juan Manuel Marquez offers. He is a like-minded fighter that can match wits with Pacquiao. 

It is so easy to place the face and talent of past Pacquiao opponents on Marquez. With Pacquiao boxing like an unbeatable force, it seems inconceivable that Pac-Man could lose to anyone, much less a fighter that he is so well acquainted with. 

Well, Marquez is very well-acquainted with Pacquiao as well. We are too quick to dismiss Marquez as another shlub that is destined to be on the wrong side of a split decision or worse. 

I will say one thing about Pacquiao. His talent is so ridiculously awesome that fighters are stunned from the minute that they step into the ring with him. 

Juan Manuel Marquez realized what he was up against in the first round of their fight in 2004. After being knocked down three times in their very first meeting, Marquez has been fighting back ever since. 

Marquez took a pummeling and used that humiliation to size up Pacquiao. There have been a plethora of fighters that fought Pac-Man only to fail and be dismissed into the ever growing pile of losers. 

Marquez has been a rare gem in the Pacquiao legacy, a fighter that should have been knocked out in the first round in 2004 and forever dismissed by Pacquiao from that day on. Instead, Marquez has been a pest that Pacquiao just can't shake. 

After a split decision gave way to a unanimous one, we can safely say that Marquez has seen the up and coming Pacquiao and the Pac-Man who was in his prime. 

The two men now meet for a third time and Marquez will not squander what should be the final chapter of their saga. 

If Marquez wins, I will chalk it up to a fighter well acquainted with Pacquiao's talents. This trilogy has been so closely matched that you figure Marquez has to get over at some point. 

Make no mistake, Pacquiao is not a clear favorite by any means on Saturday. Marquez is the one fighter that Pac-Man rarely sees; the kind that can hurt him.