Top Rank boss is confident that the Pacquiao vs Marquez Trilogy bout between Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and his Mexican nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, will be another classic. During a press conference in New York, streamed live through TopRank.com, Arum explained that Pacquiao has not yet solved the puzzle that is Marquez. Arum noted Pacquiao and Marquez have become better fighters since they last met in 2008 and insisted the fight, the third between the two, stands to become one of the best, if not the best, in the history of boxing. Arum stressed Pacquiao is no longer a one-dimensional fighter by adding a dreadful right to his powerful left, in the same vein that "Juan Manuel has changed his style, by sitting down on his punches now more than he did in the past.
“Juan Manuel presents a puzzle for Manny Pacquiao, that the truth is, he has not solved in 24 rounds,” Arum said.
In their first meeting in 2004, Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a draw, while their 2008 rematch saw the Filipino champion come away with a split decision victory.
“The puzzle is that in our opinion, Juan Manuel Marquez is the greatest counter-puncher in boxing today, and probably the greatest counter-puncher in the last 30 years,” Arum added.
He said that Marquez’s counter-punching was the “perfect answer” to Pacquiao’s aggressive style.
But Arum warned that Pacquiao is a different fighter now.
“When he fought Juan Manuel the first two times, he was essentially a southpaw who relied completely on his left hand. He is now clearly a 2-handed fighter,” he said. “He’s also improved his skills, his technique. He’s a much smarter fighter now than he was then.”
“I am looking forward to this fight to be another classic,” Arum said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment