WBO Welterweight king Manny Pacquiao will be meeting Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time on Nov. 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The pair fought to a 12-round draw back in May of 2004 and Pacquiao won a close and controversial split decision in the rematch in March of 2008. The first fight became an instant classic after Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round, but couldn’t put him away. Marquez fought his way back round by round and surprised most fans by going the distance after such a brutal start.
The 32-year-old Pacquiao of the Philippines is six years younger than his Mexican opponent. However, he started his pro career in 1995, just two years after Marquez made his debut. Remarkably, their records are quite similar as the champion will be entering the ring with a record of 53-3-2 with 38 knockouts while Marquez has a record of 53-5-1, with 39 knockouts. There’s not much to choose from when it comes to size either as Marquez is 5-foot-7, just a half inch taller than Pacquiao. They both have a 67 inch reach.
Pacquiao’s compiled a 7-0 record since beating Marquez with wins over some top-class opposition in Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, and Ricky Hatton. Marquez has a 5-1 record over the same period including two exciting wins over Juan Diaz and victories over Joel Casamayor and Michael Katsidis. He was beaten pretty handily when he moved up to welterweight against Floyd Mayweather Jr though in September of 2009 and lost a unanimous decision.
The key to this fight could be the weight. The bout’s going to be fought at a catch weight of 144 lbs., which is three less than the 147 lb welterweight limit. When the pair first met back in 2004 they weighed in at 125 lbs and tipped the scales as 130 pounders in the rematch. The southpaw Pacquiao has gone on to become a full-fledged welterweight and has fought as high as 150 lbs against Margarito when he won the vacant WBC Jr. Middleweight Title. The heaviest Marquez has weighed in for a fight has been 146 lbs against Mayweather and he looked quite lethargic. He’s comfortable at 135 lbs, but struggles when he goes over that weight.
If Marquez can keep his speed and strength at 144 lbs then we should be in for another classic. These guys have fought 24 rounds of toe-to-toe boxing so far and there’s still no clear winner even though Pacquiao’s decked Marquez four times in total. A case could be made that Marquez has won more rounds in the two fights, but Pacquiao racks up the much-needed points with his knockdowns.
If Marquez manages to stay on his feet for the entire fight this could be another close, controversial call unless one of them dominates throughout. Both of these guys can take a punch just as well as they can deliver one and they both have a lot of heart, determination, and motivation. It’s a good bet that this fight is going to turn into a brawl instead of a boxing match and that’s what the fans are hoping for. Marquez has proven to be a thorn in Pacquiao’s side so far and could continue to be so on Nov. 12th.
Pacquiao vs Marquez Betting Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.com has the current odds of a Pacquiao win at -1000 and a Marquez victory at +650. The odds of it going over 10 ½ rounds are +105 and -125 for the under.
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Juan Manuel Marquez • Manny Pacquiao