Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez: How This Fight Can Revitalize Boxing

We continue to wait for a fight that may never come. It's time to forget all about Floyd Mayweather Jr., because we have exactly what we need in Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III. 

I know what you want. Like the hot new toy near Christmas time, we clamor for Pacquiao to take on Money May in the fight of the century. The only trouble with that is we fail to appreciate something that is truly special in the third of an epic trilogy. 

By the time the opening bell rings on Saturday, we will remember exactly what it was that had us on our feet in 2004 and 2008. 

These are two like-minded fighters that will pummel each other to the point of exhaustion. How quickly do we forget that Pacquiao is prone to get weak in the knees from Marquez's onslaught.

We fail to remember the controversy that surrounded the first fight and the razor-thin decision that decided the second. 

Consider for a second how the tale of these two men began. Pacquiao came out and stunned Marquez, dropping him like a rag doll a few times in the first round. 

You can hardly blame Marquez, as every single fighter that steps in the ring with Manny Pacquiao gets blasted in the face with a flurry of hands the eye can't find. It is a shock that you can only appreciate when you step in front of him toe-to-toe. 

Since those knockdowns, Marquez has been playing catch-up. I am confident that if endurance and power are on Marquez's side, he will finally catch his elusive rabbit. 

Pacquiao realizes that Marquez is no ordinary opponent. This man knows the Pac-Man backwards and forwards. It is for that reason that Pacquiao has killed himself in training. 

It is for that reason that we are in store for something epic. Money May? No, I would rather have Marquez and Pacquiao. At least we know what we will get.