The Philippine Star
The weight, and not the age, will spell the difference when Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez figure in their March 15 rematch the whole world wants to see.
Gary Shaw, the bubbly promoter who once had Pacquiao under his wings, said the fight set at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas could be won on the tip of the scales.
He said Pacquiao at 29 being five years younger than Marquez means nothing.
"At this stage, the 29-34 (age) doesn’t make a difference. It would if one fighter was 23 or 24 with younger legs," said Shaw, now the promoter of Pinoy IBF flyweight champ Nonito Donaire.
Shaw, who promoted the Pacquiao fights against Erik Morales and Hector Velasquez in 2006, sees the 12-round title fight dubbed "Unfinished Business" going either way.
"It’s going to be a tough fight. I believe that’s a fight that’s going the distance. It’s very difficult to pick a winner because Manny may be faster than Marquez but Marquez may be stronger physically," he said.
"It’s fifty-fifty. It could go either way. You can pick either fighter. Marquez looked spectacular against Rocky Juarez in his last fight. But Rocky Juarez is not Manny Pacquiao," Shaw added.
Now comes the weight factor.
"The question is what weight would they bring into the ring or how much trouble they had getting into the weight for the weigh-in. The weight issue could be an issue," said Shaw.
Pacquiao had trouble making 130 lbs against Marco Antonio Barrera last October while Marquez, the WBC champion, looks more comfortable, saying a few weeks ago he’s just a few pounds off the limit.
Pacquiao barely made the weight against Barrera then climbed the ring the day after at 144 lbs, his heaviest ever. After a 12-round victory he hinted of moving up in weight.
"I was surprised Manny was that big," said Shaw, adding that he doesn’t even know where to put his money for this fight.
Shaw said everybody knows that Pacquiao can knock out Marquez, and he isn’t sure if the Mexican counter-puncher would enter the ring remembering the three knockdowns in their 2004 draw.
"But in the end, they are both highly skilled. I think Manny is the faster fighter. And speed kills. But Manny can get hit a lot. If Manny doesn’t come in defensive minded and he walks into a punch it could end there. Everything could change with one punch."
Boom. And it’s over. Abac Cordero
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