LAS VEGAS, NEV. (December 20, 2008) – Beware the Ides of March! The fistic debate about which fighter is the best finally will be settled when World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ defends his title against three-division world champion MANNY PACQUIAO in a 12-round battle for pound-for-pound supremacy.
Promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, in association with Romanza Boxing Productions and MP Promotions, Marquez-Pacquiao II will take place Saturday, March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Tickets for Marquez-Pacquiao II, priced at $600, $400, $300, $200 and $100, go on sale This Saturday! December 22, at 10 a.m. PT, at the Mandalay Bay box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall, and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000 or Mandalay Bay (702) 632-7580. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Boasting near identical records and professional achievements, it is no surprise that their first encounter, for the featherweight title, ended in a draw when they fought May 8, 2004 in Las Vegas. It was a “Fight of the Year”-style rumble that featured furious exchanges, leaving both warriors bloodied and swollen. Marquez, then the defending International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight champion, was forced to dig deep and make the appropriate adjustments after Pacquiao started out fast and sent Marquez to the canvas three times in the first round. Pacquiao entered the fight coming off of an impressive eleven-round destruction of then featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera,
Marquez (48-3-1, 35 KOs), from Mexico City, Mexico, captured his first world title in 2003, stopping former world champion Manuel Medina in the seventh round to capture the vacant IBF featherweight title. He unified the title by dethroning WBA champion Derrick Gainer to set the stage for his first mega-fight against Pacquiao. Following his majority draw against Pacquiao, Marquez successfully defended both title belts, winning decisions over Victor Polo and Orlando Salido, before traveling to Indonesia to face Chris John, where he lost a controversial decision. Marquez successfully advanced into the super featherweight division this year by dethroning WBC champion Marco Antonio Barrera in March and successfully defending that title in November against Ricardo Rocky Juarez.
Dubbed “Republica Enemy No. 1,” Pacquiao (45-3-2, 34 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, has blitzed through the best fighters Mexico has had to offer since 2003 including Erik Morales (KO 3, TKO 10), Barrera (TKO 11, W 12), Oscar Larios (W 12), Emanuel Lucero (TKO 3), Hector Velazquez (TKO 6) and Jorge Solis (KO 8). The only blemish on this impressive resume was the draw against Marquez. Pacquiao, was named 2006 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring magazine for his two spectacular knockout victories of Mexican icon and three-division champion Morales, as well as his dominating 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Larios. The hard-hitting southpaw has won 21 of his last 22 bouts including 2007 victories over Barrera and Solis.