Just one night from now, the highly anticipated fourth showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena will finally take place between Manny Pacquiao and archrival Juan Manuel Marquez.
Thankfully, if you can't afford the outrageous ticket prices to attend the bout or don't feel like forking over $60 or more on pay-per-view, there are ways to access the epic fight online.
A self-proclaimed, more aggressive Pacquiao will look to take it to Marquez early, which should be an interesting strategy to see unfold considering the counter-punching prowess of Dinamita.
Marquez has a golden opportunity to prove he is in fact the better fighter, as the three previous encounters have resulted in a draw and two losses thereafter amidst much controversy. Those strongly in Marquez's corner—and even some unbiased outsiders—feel that Marquez could have easily won all three bouts.
Pacquiao himself admitted he has much to prove (h/t Sky Sports), but will he be able to bounce back after undergoing a religious transformation and dabbling in politics and entrepreneurship?
Whatever happens, it's sure to be a fight you won't want to miss. Here is the live stream information that will encompass all of Saturday night's enthralling action.
Live Stream
The No. 1—and legal—spot to catch all the action from fight night and the events leading up to it is TopRank.com. Not only will it play host to the actual fight on Saturday, but it has been streaming great content all week to build the already massive anticipation.
From the arrival of both Marquez and Pacquiao to a breakdown of the HBO 24/7 series about the two fighters as they prepare for the marquee matchup, it is truly the top place to go.
Other Online Media
As polarizing as ESPN's First Take may be at times with the colorful persona of Skip Bayless, the show put together a phenomenal setup with Pacquiao and Marquez sitting across each other at the debate desk.
It is definitely worth watching, as each fighter discusses what he must do to win, using the familiarity with each other as initial context.
A trio of experts at ESPN also scored the previous three encounters of Marquez and Pacquiao and came out with the same, 2-0-1 record.
Only it was in the opposite direction, favoring Marquez. All three scored the most recent fight a draw, while claiming Marquez won the first two meetings. The arguments behind each man's logic are captivating and will only go further to stir up the hype surrounding this fight.
As mentioned above, the HBO 24/7 series gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at both inner circles:
The allegations of performance-enhancing drug usage by Marquez has also created a stir, and Yahoo! expert Kevin Iole has written a captivating column about the admittedly astonishing physical transformation by the 39-year-old fighter.
Claiming that Marquez's change is as dramatic as that of former baseball star Barry Bonds is a pretty strong statement. That should only enlarge the chip on Marquez's shoulder. He articulates in detail his bitter feelings about the last bout in particular in a personal blog post about his history with Pacquiao (h/t Crave Online):
I felt I won nine of the 12 rounds and easily won the fight. He never came close to hurting me and once again my boxing skills were too much for him. But once again the three judges took away my victory. And there is nothing I can do about them.
It seems that Manny has only one opponent every time we fight—me—while I have four—Manny and the three judges.
That is a difficult attitude to have—that everyone is out to get you. But it may just drive Marquez to victory. The key is to not get too greedy early on due to his ability to absorb punishment and counter the fierce cross-punch combinations of Pac-Man.
It's fair to say both fighters have much at stake, and if all this online hype doesn't get you pumped for Saturday night in Vegas, look elsewhere for entertainment.
But do realize these are two of the best boxers of the current generation, ready to do battle for what would appear to be one last time.
Get to a computer if you can, sit back and enjoy.
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