When Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2) squares off with Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, it will be one of the most anticipated fights of 2012.
After three previous bouts that left plenty of questions to be answered, the boxing world and both fighters are looking for an explosive matchup that ends with a huge, decisive finish.
With so much anticipation around this fourth installment of the storied rivalry, even the most casual boxing fan won’t want to miss a second of this wild action.
Where: MGM Grand in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Dec. 8 at 9 p.m. ET
Watch: HBO PPV (contact local cable provider)
Live Stream: HBO Go (subscription required) and Top Rank (payment required)
Pacquiao’s Keys to Victory
While Manny Pacquiao comes into this fight as the heavy favorite, the entire boxing world knows that Juan Manuel Marquez is built to take the boxing legend to his limit.
Just look at the three previous fights between these men (two decision wins for Pac-Man and a draw).
Pacquiao is attacking this fight with a different mindset now, though, after losing by decision to Timothy Bradley in his last fight. After having a victory taken from him by the judges, Pac-Man understands JMM’s frustration and wants to knock the veteran out.
With increased speed and a new, aggressive style that will see Pac-Man get inside on Marquez, boxing fans should expect this to be a very violent fight with an even more abrupt ending.
Marquez’s Keys to Victory
While Marquez has always been the perfect matchup to shut down Pacquiao’s wild style, this fourth edition of this battle will prove that JMM’s in-ring career should be over.
The lack of speed will doom Marquez from the beginning, and it will open him up for the knockout power from Pacquiao.
The key for Marquez in his previous fights was his elite timing and the ability to keep Pac-Man at a distance with his reach. With Pacquiao trying to move toward the inside, JMM must make sure he keeps him on the outside.
If this fight stays on the outside and the veteran Marquez is allowed to fight his style, there is little doubt that this fight could go the distance once again and answer none of the questions asked as a result of the first three bouts.
Prediction: Pacquiao via 5th-Round TKO
With a new mindset and a desire to not allow a winner to be determined by the judges, Pacquiao will get his revenge and end this storied rivalry with a fifth-round technical knockout.
Almost every fight has started with an opening round consisting of both men feeling each other out, but that will not be the case in this fight. With so much experience against each other, these men will walk to the center of the ring and start exchanging shots.
Marquez will put up a valiant fight for the first few rounds, but a relentless assault from Pac-Man will have JMM on his heels until Pacquiao starts landing the devastating shots in the middle rounds.
With so much focus on a knockout for both men, Marquez is liable to lean in for a punch and find himself down for the count. While the round is debatable, there is little doubt Pac-Man will be aiming for a KO.
Check back for more on boxing as it comes, and don’t miss Bleacher Report’s Boxing page or listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.
Follow @Donald_Wood
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment