By Bill Phanco: Former four division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) will be looking to knock Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) clean out on Saturday in their fourth fight between them. Marquez, 39, wants to take the judges completely out of their position of being able to sit as the decider in this fight by knocking Pacquiao and making sure that he won’t be on the receiving end of another controversial decision like in the past three fights.
Speaking with the BBC Sport, Marquez said “I am looking for the knockout. I have trained really hard, and I feel ready. I am looking for the knockout because the judge gave another [bad decision in last Pacquiao fight].”
Marquez has got the body and the strength now to accomplish his goal. He looks even more muscular than in his last fight against Pacquiao, and in that fight Marquez looked powerful.
If Marquez’s extra muscles equate to more power than Pacquiao could be in for a brutal beating tomorrow night because he and his trainer Freddie Roach have already said that they’re going to take the fight to Marquez to try and overwhelm him with punches. Roach seems to believe that the answer to beating guys like Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is to try and overwhelm their defenses.
(Photo credit: Sauerland Events) By Michael Collins: Mikkel Kessler (45-2, 34 KO’s) and Brian Magee (36-4-1, 25 KO’s) weighed in earlier today for their fight on Saturday with Kessler coming in at 167.8 pounds and Magee at 168 for their bout at the BOXEN, Herning, Denmark. Kessler, 33, is a huge favorite in this fight, as he has the bigger power, better hand speed, bigger size and the much bigger talent than Magee. Kessler also four years younger than the 37-year-old Magee, and that’s something that will help as well.
By Rob Smith: Manny Pacquiao has a perfect explanation for why he’s not looked good since his win over Miguel Cotto in 2009. He says it’s because all of his opponents have been literally running from him in the ring instead of standing stationary and slugging it out in an old fashioned style of fighting that Pacquiao favors.
By Steve Mabbott: Juan Manuel Marquez had looked huge during his training video on the HBO Pacquiao-Marquez 24/7 episodes, but during today’s weigh-in for Saturday’s Las Vegas based fight, Marquez weighed in at only 143 lbs, a whole four pounds lighter than the 147 pound Manny Pacquiao.
By Rob Smith: Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) made weight today for his bout tomorrow night against Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Surprisingly, Pacquiao weighed in 4 more than Marquez. Pacquiao weighed in at 147 pounds, while Marquez weighed 143 lbs. Marquez looked bigger than Pacquiao despite being four pounds lighter, but much of Marquez’s weight was in his upper body.
By Joseph Herron – On the eve of the monumental fourth meeting between two future Hall of Fame fighters, Manny Pacquaio and Juan Manuel Marquez, HBO’s unofficial ringside scorer Harold Lederman chimed in on what fight fans should expect to see when these ring legends collide at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
By Joseph Herron: It’s been just a little over two months since “King” Gabriel Rosado (21-5, 13 KOs) earned the opportunity to fight for championship gold by defeating Charles Whitaker in an IBF Junior Middleweight title eliminator on NBC Sports Network.