Manny Pacquiao: "No Excuses"

“I want people who watch this fight to be satisfied. I don’t care about a belt and I don’t care about the money – I want to win in style.”- Manny Pacquiao

Juan Manuel Marquez better watch out. Manny Pacquiao is going to put the hurt tonight. But that will only happen if the Filipino boxing superstar is in top shape and true to his pronouncements.

We may say, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez have fought for 36 rounds before, and the Filipino fighter managed to put the Mexican down four times but failed to finish him off; what else is new this time around?

For a change, the news that came out of his training camp was nothing but positive, encouraging and spectacular. They say that Manny Pacquiao is very focused and has worked very hard for this fight. Gone are the usual distractions: the booze, the gambling, the women and the late nights. They advertised that the fire in his belly is back and that he has knocked down several sparring partners this time around, a fact that has not been seen in his training camp since his preparation for the Miguel Cotto fight as proof.

Yet amid all these pronouncements and press releases, many of us remain skeptical since we all have heard this kind of news before, and we all have read this kind of script before, and we all have seen this kind of movie before.

Truth is, Manny Pacquiao has not been the same fighter inside the ring ever since he showed mercy on a bloodied Miguel Cotto in 2009. He then went out and had fun with Joshua Clottey and made mince-meat of Antonio Margarito a year later. And in 2011, instead of fighting, Manny Pacquiao engaged Shane Mosley in a 'touched-gloved' diplomacy and did not take Juan Manuel Marquez seriously in their trilogy.

And last June, Manny Pacquiao cruised and sleepwalked on Timothy Bradley, which he could have easily taken care of if he only cared enough to push for a stoppage. And so Manny Pacquiao paid the price for his lackluster performance by eventually losing the said fight albeit a controversial one.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao has been shamed and humbled by the Bradley debacle. And he is on a mission to bounce back and show the boxing world that he can still be a fireball inside the ring.

Yes, despite his age and the wear and tear, Manny Pacquiao wants to prove that he can still be the 'Typhoon from the Pacific' who can unleash a storm against his opponent. Yes, Manny Pacquiao wants to silence his critics and convince the skeptics and regain the stature that made him one of the most loved, if not the best fighter of his era.

Manny Pacquiao states that tonight, there will be "no doubts this time" when he hammers the final nail on the coffin on the Juan Manuel Marquez question.

However, all these talks about Manny Pacquiao's exploits in training camp would not matter if on fight night, Manny Pacquiao fails to deliver. All these press releases to be the 'old' Manny Pacquiao and knock out Juan Manuel Marquez will be for naught if he fails to pull the trigger.

So, if Manny Pacquiao hopes to 'win in style', then all he has to do is bear in mind that old famous Nike slogan, "Just Do It."

Note: This article was previously posted on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

Juan Manuel Marquez: In search of the holy "grain"

If we want to understand Juan Manuel Marquez's mentality as a fighter, we only need to look back in all the things that he did and the discipline that goes with them so that he can acquire "that little grain of difference" against his opponents.

And there is no other fighter that can make Juan Manuel Marquez shift into overdrive in preparation for a fight than Manny Pacquiao. He engaged the Filipino superstar in three brutal wars that could have gone either way, but he ended up on the losing end twice (2008, 2011) and managed to eke out a draw in one (2004).

And there is no other topic that can make Juan Manuel Marquez's blood curdle than the mention of his defeats to Manny Pacquiao. His setbacks to the Filipino fighter are what drive him to prepare harder and resort to unconventional methods just so he can have even the slightest edge over his nemesis.

Yes, in the mind of Juan Manuel Marquez, he believed that he has won all three of their fights, a belief that only adds fuel to his desire to finally get one over Manny Pacquiao. And tonight he will have his chance to finally end years of frustration, quiet all his detractors and unburden him of the weights on his shoulders.
Juan Manuel Marquez's desperation bordering to obsession to finally beat Manny Pacquiao is one for the books; because of his unconventional approach in his quest for boxing's holy grail, Juan Manuel Marquez at one time or another has become the butt of jokes among fans and fighters alike.

After all, nobody in the boxing world has the mental toughness and intestinal fortitude that Juan Manuel Marquez has exhibited in preparation for a fight. His burning desire to have that wee-bit of an advantage once led him to drinking his own urine to no avail.

Juan Manuel Marquez has never shied away from using both traditional and new technology to enhance his chances of winning a fight. He uses the hyperbaric chamber to breathe 100% pure oxygen and has also incorporated 'cupping therapy' in his regimen to relax his 39-year old body.

And that search for "that little grain of difference" found him hooking up with Angel "Memo" Heredia, a trainer with a dark and shady past who once bragged in a 2009 interview that modern day testing for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in sports is 'laughable' -- Juan Manuel Marquez has made what many boxing observers believed to be a pact with the devil.

So, Juan Manuel Marquez with Angel "Memo" Heredia overseeing his strength and conditioning training has transformed himself into a hulking, muscular, well-chiseled specimen. He professes that he feels good and is ready to engage Manny Pacquiao in a no-holds-barred fight. He proclaims that his hard work and his new-found strength and speed will make the big difference in the fight. And he also vows that he will go for a knockout against Manny Pacquiao this time around.

But whether Juan Manuel Marquez has really found 'that little grain of difference' with Memo Heredia in his corner for this fight remains to be seen. Juan Manuel Marquez will still need to go out there and prove his mettle against Manny Pacquiao to earn the nod of the boxing public. Juan Manuel Marquez needs to commit and take the fight to Manny Pacquiao to show the judges who is in charge inside the ring. As they usually say, a warrior does not waste his time waiting for the enemy to commit mistakes and good fortune always favors the brave.

Tonight, a victory by Juan Manuel Marquez will be a vindication of his long quest and the road that he has taken for that elusive 'W' against Manny Pacquiao. But another defeat in the hands of his traditional nemesis will not only be devastating but a bitter pill to swallow for the fighter from Mexico.

So, what would Juan Manuel Marquez do?

Note: This article was previously posted on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

"Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao" explodes on TNT tonight

We all know that Manny Pacquiao loves basketball and is a big fan of the NBA. It is well-known that on numerous occassions, he would defy his trainer Freddie Roach's order not to play the game during training just so he can play pick-up basketball with his friends.

But if there is any doubt left about the Filipino boxing superstar's passion for the game, we only need to remember his fight with Timothy Bradley last June wherein Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum decided to delay the start of the main event so that Pacquiao could watch Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

We also know that NBA Legends and Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller are big boxing aficionados. They are also regular fixtures at big time fights in Las Vegas. And NBA fans have seen Charles Barkley figured in a scuffle with fellow TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal eons ago during one of their games, but if we are talking about Sir Charles' boxing skills, that's another story.

On numerous occasions, both Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller have been very vocal about their love of prizefigting as well as professing their admiration for Manny Pacquiao during their coverage of NBA games on TNT.

And in last week's Thursday night telecast of the Miami-San Antonio game, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller spoke about their experience working out with Manny Pacquiao.

Charles Barkley: “We spent a day with Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach, and let me tell you something — one of the great days of my life. “

"I don’t wanna brag, but there’s no doubt in my mind I could knock Manny Pacquiao out."

To which, Reggie Miller disagreed, “No, you can’t. Manny (Pacquiao) call me, let’s set this up.”

Now, there is no doubt that Reggie Miller is one of the best shooters to ever play in the NBA. Yes, there is no doubt that Charles Barkley is one of the best talkers, if not the best bruisers to ever play in the NBA. And there is no doubt that Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers to ever display his wares in the ring. Aside from their common love for Boxing and Basketball, all three are funny and hilarious in their own special way.
Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller gave us a hint of what we should expect from the 30-minute TNT special wherein they went toe-to-toe with Manny Pacquiao.

 "As a boxing fan, it was one of the coolest things I've ever done," Barkley said.

"As a professional athlete, it's always interesting to hear how other elite athletes prepare themselves for competition. Training with Manny was an experience I'll never forget," added Miller.

It will be interesting to see how Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Manny Pacquiao talk shop, interact, and literally and figuratively throw jabs at each other -- a welcome respite from all the monotony and serious talk about the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, subjective odds, analysis and all, being peddled to every boxing fan by boxing scribes during fight week.

Let us keep our fingers crossed and hope that the well-advertised TNT special will not only be explosive but a knockout; Laugh-wise, that is.

Tonight, TNT will air  "Charles & Reggie: Toe to Toe with Manny Pacquiao" after the NBA double-header between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. ET, with the Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns following at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Note: This article was previously posted on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner

ESPN First Take: Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez

Unfinished Business

Ring Magazine Super Featherweight Champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and WBC Super Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico who battled to a controversial draw in 2004 is set to meet in the ring on the 15th of March at the Mandalay Bay Resorts and Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight dubbed "Unfinished Business" is the much awaited rematch between the two best fighters in the world today and is designed to settle once and for all questions on who's the better fighter between them.

The fight is scheduled to be shown on HBO Pay-per-view come Saturday night.

Here's a video of their 2004 fight at 126 lbs and see for yourself why this is the most awaited fight of the year---





Visit: Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez for the Full Fight