SecondsOut Team Picks: Pacquiao Vs Marquez lll

Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao defends his WBO welterweight crown against Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez. This is the third meeting between the pair and probably the last. As usual our brave army of writers once again put their reputations on the line to pick a winner.

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Unlike some writers I feel this will again be a close fight but not as close as the previous two. I see Marquez having his moments early on but Pacquiao will gain control of the fight in the middle rounds to claim a unanimous points win

Pacquiao pts 12
Clive Bernath
Editor In Chief

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It’s pretty common knowledge that if anyone has the knowledge to defeat Manny Pacquiao, it is Juan Manuel Marquez -- the question is does he still have the skill set. While there is some cause for concern to the 144-pound weight limit for this fight, it should be noted that in their previous fight Marquez’ fight night weight was 141 and Pacquiao’s was 145. Depending on how Marquez’ training differs from as normal, it likely won’t be noticeable until the fight plays out whether the weight played a factor or not. What I expect to be more compromising is that Pacquaio is now accustomed to fighting against welterweight sized men, some even bigger, while Marquez hasn’t been challenging himself in the same manner.

Pacquiao tko 11
José Santana Jr.
Cleveland, Ohio
USA

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I’ll take Pacquiao by late round stoppage. I think it will be a tactical fight early until Manny hurts Marquez and puts him down. At that point Marquez’s warrior instinct will kick in and that will be his downfall. I think his corner will stop it around the tenth round.

Pacquiao tko 10 Marquez
Matthew Hurley
Boston,
Massachusetts
USA

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I do think that Marquez won the second fight and should have got the best decision in the first go around. If not for the knock downs Marquez clearly won both fights. Pacquiao has got better over the years and Marquez has shown at his age he still is one if the best in the world, the weight should have some advantages in this fight going to Pacquiao and he has been able to carry the weight at welter better then Marquez looked in his bout with Mayweather. I think Marquez knows how to beat Pac Man but at this weight and time I don’t think he can. Pacquiao should have given Marquez the rematch a few years ago instead of waiting for father time to catch up with Marquez.

Pacquiao in 8 rounds and hopefully in May we will see the fight we all have been wanting for years.

Pacquiao tko 8
Andy Rivera
Albuquerque
New Mexico
USA

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Manny Pacquiao has grown exponentially as a fighter over the past few years. In the first meeting more than the second, Pacquiao was closer to being a one-handed fighter with the occasional right to compliment his crushing left hook. Although Marquez has become a bit more accustomed to knockouts as opposed to counter punching, his gains in muscle mass may actually slow him down as he attempts to increase his overall power. His age may finally catch up to him, but hopefully this will not be the last time we see him in the ring. Juan Manuel will fight hard but Pacquiao will be too much for him before the final third of the bout commences.

Pacquiao tko 8 or 9.
Marc Livitz
Austin
Texas.
USA

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Pacquiao and Marquez have had two terrific encounters and I expect fireworks from the third war also. Pacquiao has improved since their last fight and will take control of the action in the early rounds. Aging Marquez won`t be able to keep up with the lightning speed of the pound-for pound king. The Mexican warrior will put up a valiant effort but that won`t save him from becoming the KO victim in Pacquiao`s signature win.

Pacquiao TKO 9
Mikko Salo
Helsinki
Finland

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I personally thought Juan Manuel Marquez edged Manny Pacquiao in both of their previous encounters. He is the only fighter who has been constant in his ability to time Pacquiao’s assaults and fill the empty spots with immaculate counter punching. Despite not being able to drop the Filipino legend, he has hurt him to head and body and tested Manny to the limit. However, things are different this time because it all comes down to weight; Marquez can still make 135lbs and Manny would be lucky to make 140lbs. The fact that this bout is being contested at 144lbs knocks the stuffing out of Marquez before the bell rings and I feel Manny has a serious edge. I leave the door open for “Dinamita” because you don’t write off quality but my pick remains the same and Pacquiao is simply awesome on and around the welterweight limit.

Pacquiao pts 12
Tom Gray
Motherwell
Scotland

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Styles make fights, and the counter-punching preciseness of Juan Manuel Marquez has twice given Manny Pacquiao all that he could handle. The issue is that the previous two wars took place at and below 130 lbs. Since their second fight, a razor-thin split decision win by Pacquiao, the Filipino icon has proven he could carry his strength and speed up the scale as he became one of the top two fighters in the world. Marquez has found commercial success by fighting more aggressively to compensate for the gradual erosion of his reflexes. He has gone life and death with Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis at lightweight. When he moved up to welterweight to face Mayweather, he proved that he is still a very good lightweight. Any drama was erased when this fight was signed at a catch-weight of 144 lbs. The good news is that Marquez is a proud fighter who is not showing up to collect a gold watch ala Shane Mosley. I expect Marquez to attempt to reach for greatness, but realize that this is not the same man he fought two times before. The bad news is that overall this PPV will be worse than the previous two presented by HBO sports.

Pacquiao ko -4
Jason Pribila
Bethlehem,
Philadelphia
USA

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Manny is now bigger and better, Juan is now older and slower, the added muscle will only decrease his speed, and reflexes. Manny stops Marquez in round 9.

Pacquiao tko 9
James Smith aka Smitty
Host IN THIS CORNER TV
Las Vegas
Nevada
USA

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I am predicting a Pacquiao win in either round seven or eight by the way of knockout. This one in my opinion will not go the full distance this time.

Pacquiao tko 7 or 8
Ryan Waugh
London
England

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The first two fights between Pacquiao and Marquez were great and both guys have a valid argument on who won each of those fights. I think this time around the fight will be competitive, but not like the first two. I think Pacquiao has an advantage at this weight against Marquez. I think this fight will go the distance, with Pacquiao imposing his will on the Mexican warrior. He should win a decision somewhere in the 117-111 range."

Pacquiao w pts 12
Derek Gionta
Pittsburgh,
PA
USA

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This time Pacquiao lands consistent hard shots to take out Marquez and be done with this vexing problem.

Pacquiao ko 10th
Harry Rosenbluth/ Photographer
Los Angeles, CA

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Though their first two fights were as close as they come, something inside me believes that Pacquiao is going to end this one early. Somewhere around round four, give or take a round. However, if Manny doesn’t take care of business early, he’ll be in for yet another grueling duel with one of the best to ever come out of Mexico. Marquez is not shot, though he is past his prime a little bit. I won’t be shocked if this is a repeat of fights one and two (with Marquez being robbed of victory again), but I have a hunch the Filipino takes him out.

Pacquiao tko 4
Mike Sloan
Las Vegas
Nevada
USA

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Although Marquez has twenty-four rounds of experience ending in two very close calls, I feel the third fight may be a mismatch. Pacquiao’s career has shot up since these bouts and he appears to be fighting on a whole new level. Marquez, on the otherhand, has been showing the sign of age mixed in with his greatness. Before stopping Juan Diaz, Marquez was bullied to the ropes a lot and moved by the strength of the Baby Bull. He almost got decapitated by Michael Katsidis. During both of these bouts, Marquez got tagged a lot. He’s slipped a bit since his two wars with Pacquiao and he simply does not hold the 147 pounds as well as he does 135. While he looks strong, we have already seen the added muscle slow him up against Mayweather. His willingness to go toe to toe with Pacquiao combined with his tendancy to get hit more may pave the way for the first stoppage of the the trilogy. Marquez is a silver bullet for Pacquiao though, so we just might end up with another nail biter. My guess is we get to go home early.

Pacquiao tko 7.
Derek Bonnett
Connecticut,
USA

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Talked to Jose Benevidez Sr. a few days ago who’s son, Jose Jr. has been sparring with Pacquiao at the Wild Card Gym and who is also on the undercard. He said Manny has been training hard and looks better than ever. After reviewing the sparring videos, it appears that Manny is not taking this fight lightly. The speed and ring savvy that Pacquiao has been blessed with will be too much for Marquez. Pacquiao just brings too much speed and power to lose this one. I hope all the people who order this fight at least get their money’s worth watching the undercard. I think this fight is over in the fifth round by way of knockout and in favor of Pacquiao.

Pacquiao ko 5
Ron Valderrama
Phoenix
Arizona
USA

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When they last met almost 4 yrs ago, it was a close fight that could have gone either way. The question now is which guy has slowed down the most? I think Juan Manuel Marquez has deteriorated more than Manny Pacquiao. Since his last win over Juan Diaz, he has fought an outmatched Katsidis and a "stay busy" fight against Ramos where he won via TKO1. At 38 yrs old, Marquez is still a dangerous fighter and technician but hasn’t really stepped up in a while, whereas Pacquiao has beaten dangerous opponents. I think this will be another chess match and Marquez may visit the canvas again, but the end result will be another decision victory for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao pts 12
Rocco Nguyen
Alexandria, VA
USA

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Marquez gives up all his advantages at the higher weight, where Pacman has grown accustomed to. I can still see Marquez giving Pacman troubles with his counter punching, but Manny has something to prove in this fight. He has to settle the score in style, not coast like he did in the late stages of the Margarito and Mosley fights. Like the second Morales fight, I see Pacman blitzing his opponent in the late rounds, with a bloodied and battered Marquez saved from his own courage around the 10th. Then, please, make the Floyd fight.

Pacquiao tko 10
Daley James Francis
Leicester
England

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Unlike their first two encounters, this one will be one sided. Pacman has gotten too big and too strong. Four easy rounds.

Pacquiao ko 4
Jerry Glick
New York City
USA

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Since the last encounter, Pacquiao has gone from strength to strength, whilst Marquez has had issues getting past the likes of Australia’s own Michael Katsidis. Marquez did not look comfortable in his previous attempt at Welterweight against Mayweather, and I expect Pacquiao to make easy work of the tough mexican.

Pacquiao win
Adam Santarossa
Sydney
Australia

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Despite Pacquiao’s meteoric rise through the divisions and his beatdowns of naturally bigger men such as Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, it is a technically gifted Juan Manuel Marquez who perhaps knows the secret to defeat the mercurial Filipino. Their two previous encounters could have gone either way and Marquez will be coming into the bout with the confidence he has the tools to eternally trouble the Pac Man. However, since they last met Manny has grown into a fully fledged welterweight, packing muscle onto his once skinny frame whilst retaining much of his blazing speed and power to trouble big 147lb fighters. Marquez on the other hand ventured into the welterweight division once where he looked a little under sized and slow against Mayweather, and was dropped heavily when he faced Katsidis at lightweight. Pacquiao will be as fast as Floyd and punch harder than the tough Aussie. It could be the case that Marquez will always be troublesome for Pacquiao but I feel strongly in this fight that he will prove too big and powerful for the brave Mexican warrior stopping him some where around the 10th round. It could be special while it lasts.

Pacquiao ko 10
Danny Winterbottom
Manchester
England



Pacquiao = 20

Marquez= 0

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November 11, 2011