Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3: Pacquiao Risks His Reputation Against Marquez

Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao will step into the ring on Saturday Nov. 12, yet it is Pacquiao, the heavy favorite, who has everything to lose in this matchup of epic proportions.

With 53 wins, 38 KOs, three losses and just two draws for his career, Pacquiao shows evident experience and knows a thing or two about finishing out matches. According to HBO, Pacquiao also had an advantage in that he comes into the fight roughly nine pounds heavier than Marquez at 144 pounds.

Not to mention, in their two previous fights, one was a draw and another was a one-point victory for Pacquiao.

It is these factors that ultimately make Pacquiao the favorite, yet it is also these very factors that are putting his reputation in the balance. Taking this fight could well be the mistake of his career if he is to end up losing the fight to the significantly lighter Marquez.

Being that Pacquiao is the known favorite and arguably the most dominant fighter in the world along with Floyd Mayweather Jr., there is no question that taking the fight is a must. Yet regardless of the circumstances, a loss to a fighter of a lesser stature will put all the more pressure on Pacquiao to come out on top.

A nine-pound weight advantage, a favorite to begin with and having beat Marquez in the previous encounter will have all the pressure on the Filipino sensation.

It is Marquez that has absolutely nothing to lose by taking this fight and all the more to gain as a result. If Marquez is to beat arguably the best boxer in the world, his reputation grows all the more on the grandest of stages on Nov. 12.

Make no mistake, Pacquiao will be ready to fight and should come out victorious against Marquez, yet there is no question taking the fight puts his entire reputation at risk if he is to come out empty-handed.