Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez: 5 Reasons Pac Man Will Waste Marquez

Manny Pacquiao will be a huge betting favorite when he steps into the ring to complete his trilogy with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night. 

The vast majority of fans and experts around the world also expect Pac Man to register a win, and hopefully pave the way for his long anticipated fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Since Marquez fought Pacquiao so close in two previous fights, it is worth wondering why the predictions and betting odds are so one sided.

Here, we give you five reasons Pacquiao is such a heavy favorite, and why he will seal this trilogy by wasting Marquez.

Size

Pacquiao has made a habit recently of defeating foes that many believed would be “too big” for him.  Those predictions fell flat, as one-time Light Flyweight Pac Man laid waste to the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley. 

This time, against Marquez, Manny will be the naturally bigger man, and his Mexican opponent has incorporated heavy strength training into his pre-fight preparation.

Future Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel ‘Manny’ Steward believes that Pacquiao’s size advantage will have a defining impact on this weekend’s fight.

“I have to go with Manny Pacquiao because he has the bigger more physical strength,” Steward told the Boxing Scene website.  “He is about nine or ten pounds larger than Marquez, I know for a fact that Marquez’s real weight is still not much more than 130-132.”

Quality of Opposition

“To be the best, you have to beat the best,” is a phrase used in all sports, and rings very true when it comes to Boxing. 

If you step into the ring with the best in the business, you are forced to be at the top of your game simply to survive.

In his last six fights, Pacquiao has fought and beaten star names such as ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya.

Over the same time span, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is the only elite opponent faced by Marquez, and that fight ended in a split decision loss for the Mexican veteran.

Future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya has been in the ring with Pac Man, and believes that the opposition faced by the Filipino great lately will give him the upper hand in this contest.

“It’s a whole different level because Manny’s been beating guys who are maybe superstars.  Guys like (Miguel) Cotto, guys like myself, guys like (Shane) Mosley,” De La Hoya told the ABS-CBN News website.  “Marquez has been beating guys that are just ordinary.”

Pride

Any fans or observers who have watched Pacquiao outside the ring can see he is a very mild-mannered man with a pleasant demeanor.  It seems almost contrary that such an affable gentleman could be responsible for handing out such brutal beating.

When it comes to Marquez, a fire has been lit in the Pac Man, ignited by the now infamous “Marquez Beat Pacquiao Twice” t-shirt worn by Marquez at a press conference before this fight was signed.

A picture of Marquez wearing the shirt is displayed prominently by the speed bag in Pacquiao’s gym, and Freddie Roach told the Fight Hype website that he has never seen his charge so motivated for a fight.

“I think (Pacquiao) was slapped in the face by Marquez by wearing those shirts in the Philippines.  I think Manny is going to pay him back for that and payback’s a [expletive].”

Freddie Roach

Freddie Roach is a five-time Trainer of the Year award winner, and is without doubt one of the sharpest minds operating in boxing today.

Pacquiao is renowned for his phenomenal physical preparation, and that is always coupled with an excellent fight strategy and game plan that Roach has worked on.

Unfortunately for Marquez, Roach has two full fights worth of video where he can analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Mexican, and compare how it works directly against Pacquiao.

Roach has developed all facets of Pacquiao’s game, and the Pac Man that will step into the ring this Saturday is a more complete fighting machine than the one Marquez faced in two prior fights.

Pacquiao himself has described working with Roach as “a gift sent from heaven.”  It is unlikely Marquez will be so fond of Roach at the end of this Saturday’s contest.

Father Time

After 59 fights, many of which have been toe-to-toe wars, a 38-year-old Marquez is simply not the same physical specimen that rose from the canvas three times to trouble Pac Man in their first fight seven years ago.

Five of Marquez’s last nine contests have gone the distance, and that shows a potential drop in punching power while adding significant wear and tear to his aging body.

Even at his physical prime Marquez failed to beat Pacquiao, and the odds of him rolling back the years to even grab a draw in this fight are very long indeed.