HEAVIER, BIGGER MARQUEZ WILL FACE MANNY IN REMATCH
[PHOTO - Juan Manuel Marquez]
MANILA, MAY 28, 2011 (STAR) By Abac Cordero - Juan Manuel Marquez will try to make sure he doesn't give up too much in size against Manny Pacquiao when they meet in November.
Marquez, who will soon turn 38, said he will bulk up for the WBO welterweight title fight, pegged at a catchweight of 144 pounds.
But he said he will need the help of doctors to do it.
"I will come in a higher weight than normal," the reigning lightweight champion from Mexico told The Examiner yesterday.
Marquez is fighting at the 135 pound division but has fought once at 142, against Floyd Mayweather in May of 2009.
He was not a pretty sight at 142 pounds, going down once against Mayweather before dropping a unanimous decision.
Against Pacquiao, now the most feared fighter in the 147 pound class, Marquez wants to make it pretty even – both in size and speed.
"But I will have doctors monitoring my progress," he told Ricardo Lois of The Examiner.
The fight takes place on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand, but before that, Marquez wants a tuneup match in July, hopefully against David Diaz.
After losing to Mayweather, Marquez went back home to 135 pounds, fought Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, and looked nice.
But Pacquiao looked even nicer in his lopsided wins over true welterweights Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.
However, the challenge to fight Pacquiao for a third time, in a weight class higher than his current place, is too much for Marquez to ignore.
Besides, he's getting $5 million against Pacquiao, plus a share in everything else, and a possibility of another rematch, and a $10 million purse, if he wins in November.
"Matching Pacquiao's speed and rhythm are key. The doctors I work with will help me maintain my speed," he said.
To Marquez: Win over Pacman, get $10M in rematch' By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated May 13, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - A rematch clause worth $10 million could make Golden Boy Promotions think twice before it matches Top Rank's offer to Juan Manuel Marquez regarding a third fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Arum told Filipino scribes the other day that Golden Boy, which has promotional rights over Marquez, has only until the 16th of this month, this coming Monday, to match its offer to Marquez.
Top Rank gave Marquez a revised offer last Monday, and the 37-year-old Mexican, who figured in two close fights with Pacquiao in 2004 and 2008, readily accepted the offer, saying it's the fight he wants.
Golden Boy has the right to match it, and look for another opponent for Marquez, under the same terms that include a $5 million guaranteed purse, a catchweight of 144 pounds and the date on Nov. 12.
The offer also states that the fight will take place in Las Vegas.
Golden Boy can find these terms easy to match because they have a couple of fighters in mind as Marquez' next opponent, like Saul Alvarez of Victor Ortiz, who was recently mentioned as Floyd Mayweather's next opponent.
Mayweather, however, said the other day there's no truth to reports that he's facing Ortiz in September at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
But what may force Golden Boy to give the green light to Pacquiao-Marquez Part 3 is the rematch clause offering the Mexican counterpuncher $10 million in case he beats Pacquiao, the LA Times reported.
"I just have to wait," were Marquez' words following Pacquiao's lopsided win against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand last Saturday.
Pacquiao's chief trainer, Freddie Roach, said at the Wild Card Gym that Marquez is the best fight out there for Pacquiao, and not Timothy Bradley, Zab Juddah or middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.
"They have a great history," said Roach of Pacquiao and Marquez.
And he said he likes the fight so they can finally put Marquez out after three knockdowns and a draw in 2004, and one knockdown and an equally controversial split decision favoring the Filipino in 2008.
Roach is confident that people will buy this fight if it happens.
"He's (Marquez) got a lot of balls, too and I can't take that away from him. But I definitely thought we won both fights," said Roach.
"It will be a good, competitive fight and it will be good for boxing. And if they fight again it will be another good fight," he added.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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