Their December 8 fight will be their last. Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will face each other for the fourth and final time and they are both ready.
That's what they said today during the first press conference of the promotional tour for their match arranged last Friday in Las Vegas (Nevada).
The veteran Marquez, 39, has controversially lost two of the previous three bouts despite giving it his best; the first one was declared a draw.
The judges' debated decisions have given Pacquiao,33, the advantage of 2-0-1 against Marquez, current WBO Light Welterweight Champion and who will go up to Welter to fight the Filipino.
"The most important thing of all is that this will be a complete fight because we know everything there is to know about each other," stated Marquez in the presentation. "The only thing we need to do is to entirely clear the doubts regarding the verdicts."
Marquez admitted that his big dream would have been to fight in Mexico in front of his fellow Mexicans, but promoter Bob Arum had his reasons to settle in the MGM Grand Arena of Las Vegas as the best option.
"The previous experiences with the judges' decisions weren't good enough for me or for a lot of fans, but I am now convinced that I will bring my best boxing to win the fight without any kind of doubts," explained Marquez. "He is a great boxer and a complete challenge for me once again."
On its part, Manny's team is also aware that he will have to use the best strategy to accomplish what he hasn't been able to achieve up until now: a KO against Marquez.
"I need this fight to be decisive," said Pacquiao. "I want to show the old Manny Pacquiao, a hungry fighter on the ring."
Pacquiao and his coach, Freddie Roach, admitted that the fight came after the polemic victory last November, a match a lot of aficionados say was misjudged.
"This will be a great fight because I want to clear any doubts from boxing fans," declared Pacquiao. "There are a lot of people asking themselves if I really won the fight. I think I definitely did. He also says he won, so there's something wrong there."
Marquez had the same line of thought when explaining his need for a rematch but, as the defeated fighter, is desire is much stronger.
"Why again? Because I want to prove who's the best and I want the referee to raise my hand," emphasized Marquez. "I will work very hard for December 8 and I will get to the fight ready to win again because I didn't like the judges' decision although everybody knows what happened in the ones before that."
He wouldn't comment in any kind of specific strategy, but he was convinced that he would triumph if he trains a lot.
Pacquiao, said he likes Marquez' class and fighting spirit on the ring.
"I respect his team and it's because of that that I will train harder and tougher than ever," he stated. "I want the fight of December 8 to be in boxing history forever."
Pacquiao admitted that a win by knockout would be the ideal result, but he's ready as he always is- to be the best for 12 rounds.
editorial@sandiegored.com
Original Text : EFE Agency
Translation: Karen.balderas@sandiegored.com
