Juan Manuel Marquez : The Last Mexican Standing

Does He Have Enough Left for the Beast from the Far East? by John Chavez

“Manny Pacquiao will stop Juan Manuel Marquez inside the distance”- is the general sentiment amongst “Pacman” fans leading up to a rematch that’s been four years in the making.

It’s as if it’s a foregone conclusion that Pacquiao will win let alone have any sort of problems with the Mexico City tactician.

It’s very amusing to say the least being that Marquez has done nothing but win (minus the controversial loss to Chris John) and at times has been quite impressive in doing so.

2007 was a year in which Marquez defeated an aging but still relatively sharp Marco Antonio Barrera while concluding the year with a hard fought decision victory over Rocky Juarez.

It begs to me to ask the question… so why is it that “Dinamita” has essentially been written off as nothing more than a walking corpse looking for a hole to rest in?

For some strange reason, I can’t see what the masses see.

Marquez might have slipped a bit physically since his first encounter with Pacquiao but not to the level that many believe he has. In his bout with Barrera he showed that he’s still as sharp a counter puncher as ever in addition to demonstrating a toughness and durability that makes him one tough nut to crack.

The one clearly different aspect I’ve seen from Marquez in recent years is that he fights in a more offensive-minded style which leads to his face showing a lot of wear and tear by the final bell. This could be the reason that people rant bout his supposed significant slippage being that in his earlier days he seemed rather content to box his way to victory fighting in a very patient, workman-like manner.

While the fight is about one month away, it’s still too early to tell whether Marquez is as sharp as he can possibly be at this point in training camp. I have the faintest inkling that this is the best “Dinamita” that we’ve seen in recent times and as the saying goes… “Great fighters always have one great performance left in them.”

I think March 15 we’ll be seeing something truly special and to answer the question as to whether he has enough left for the beast from the Far East?

With revenge on his mind, the weight of his country on his back, and the possibility of going down in the history books as one of the greatest fighters to ever come out of Mexico City with this victory.

The answer is…

Undoubtedly, undeniably, unmistakably, unquestionably, and most positively the answer is a resounding… YES, he does!

Source:boxingconfidential.com