Marquez adjusts style for Manny

MANILA, Philippines - Will it be a “new” Juan Manuel Marquez facing Manny Pacquiao when they square off for the WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas tomorrow night (Sunday morning, Manila)?

Marquez, 38, has always been known as a tactical, clinical counterpuncher. That’s how he made his mark in the boxing landscape, bagging three world titles in three different weight classes from featherweight to superfeatherweight to lightweight. Now, he’s gunning for the welterweight crown with more muscle to add to his weight.

The speculation is with the extra poundage, Marquez will be slower than usual. Pacquiao won’t mind it because Marquez will be easier to hit if he’s slower. But unconventional wisdom has it that Marquez will be a lot more aggressive in engaging Pacquiao with his newly sculpted physique. It’s unconventional because Marquez isn’t known to stray from his scientific approach to the game.

But after failing to beat Pacquiao in two previous meetings, Marquez has some changes in mind. He wants to be stronger and may take the fight to Pacquiao instead of waiting for him to charge in.

“I’ve changed a bit,” confessed Marquez, quoted by Joseph Santoliquito of The Ring Magazine. “I had a style that boxing purists loved, of hitting and not getting hit. It’s a style that worked for a while but now, my new style gives boxing fans their money’s worth. I want them to want to watch when I fight. I think more fans like the way I fight now. I do get hit more than I ever have and obviously, I don’t like to get hit. But you have to consider that I’m fighting better opposition. I’ve tried to combine things, using the old style and the more aggressive style.”

Pacquiao, 32, would rather Marquez come forward than wait in a cloak-and-dagger defense anchored on scientific counterpunching. If Marquez will gamble and engage Pacquiao toe-to-toe, it could end earlier than most experts predict. How Marquez will cope with Pacquiao’s power is a question mark, considering he’s suffered nine knockdowns so far in his career. Marquez’s saving grace is his amazing recuperative power. While he may be prone to falling on the canvas, Marquez has never been knocked out or stopped.

To this day, Marquez insists he beat Pacquiao in their encounters, first as featherweights in 2004 and second as superfeatherweights in 2008. After the Mexican halted Michael Katsidis last year, he showed up at the press conference wearing a T-shirt with the words in bold capital letters – “MARQUEZ BEAT PACQUIAO TWICE.”

Marquez said he was surprised in the first round of their initial meeting but shook off the three knockdowns. “I don’t know what the judges were watching and I don’t understand how they came up with a draw,” he said, quoted by Brent Matteo Alderson in The Ring Magazine (February 2009). “If you followed the fight closely, you’ll see that he won maybe three rounds and that includes the round with the three knockdowns. I used my experience, my condition and will to defend my two world titles. It was a draw but we know who was triumphant in that fight.”

Marquez said the rematch was another highway robbery despite Pacquiao scoring a knockdown in the third round. Pacquiao won via a split decision. “That (knockdown) was in the third round but there were still nine rounds left to fight,” he said. “I connected with more punches, I cut him and I had him hurt. I’ve been to the Philippines and I asked people who they thought won. Every person says it with fear and looks over their shoulder but I tell them I’m not going to tell anybody and then they say, ‘You won.’”

Marquez’ visit to Manila in 2009 to challenge Pacquiao to a third match was viewed as a gesture of disrespect to the Filipino hero. Freddie Roach called it a slap on Pacquiao’s face – which is why this weekend’s bout has taken a personal dimension.

In between the two fights against Pacquiao, Marquez lost a decision to Chris John in Indonesia. Marquez was in line for a rematch with Pacquiao but refused a $750,000 paycheck because the Filipino’s purse was $1.25 Million. Marquez was paid $650,000 for the first fight. The Mexican felt he deserved a higher price. Left out in the cold, Marquez eventually agreed to face John for a $35,000 purse in 2006 and lost on points in Indonesia. It was a double black eye for Marquez and fight experts blamed his manager-trainer Nacho Beristain for the blimp.

Marquez justified Beristain’s decision as a matter of principle because he couldn’t accept being “shortchanged” in the rematch. The return match with Pacquiao was later staged in 2008. Now, Marquez is guaranteed $5 Million for the third fight and if the pay-per-view buys roll in as expected, he might be able to add at least $1 Million more to his bank account.