Marquez vows to complete unfinished job on Pacman
Whenever Juan Manuel Marquez looks back to that eventful night in May, 2004 where he battled Manny Pacquiao to a controversial draw, he feels as though the woman of his dreams had left him for another man.
Marquez could not get rid of the detestable feeling of pain and punishment as he endured the days, months and years that followed clutching at the thought that Pacquiao succeeded in getting away with murder.
Pacquiao had Marquez down three times in the first round and appeared to be on the brink of a devastating opening-round loss when he told himself "enough is enough."
Miraculously, Marquez survived the onslaught and had Pacquiao missing with haymakers the rest of the way.
Thinking he had done enough counter-punching to gain the judges’ nod, Marquez started to entertain thoughts of grandeur.
But the judges saw it differently.
At the end of the frenetic 12-rounder at the MGM Grand, one judge favored Pacquiao, while another picked him the winner and the third saw it even.
"It was a robbery as far as I am concerned and most people agree I won the fight," said Marquez recently from his training camp in Mexico City in preparation for his March 15 rematch with the Filipino sensation, this time, at the Mandalay Bay.
"But looking back does me no good and all I know is on March 15, I am going to fight to the end, be victorious and there will be no doubt among everyone as to who is the best in the super-featherweight division," said Marquez, whose World Boxing Council (WBC) 130-lb throne will be put on the line.
As a clear proof of his desire to complete the unfinished job, Marquez skipped the Christmas revelry and regularly showed up for his training at the Romanza Gym at around the same time Pacquiao was on vacation mood following his 29th birthday.
During Pacquiao’s birthday, a deluge of visitors from the US, including Top Rank chief Bob Arum and trainer Freddie Roach, came to greet and celebrate.
Since then, Marquez has hardly missed a beat and still wakes up as early as 4 a.m. to jog in the snow-capped mountains of Toluca to kick off his dizzying schedule. He checks into the gym at 1 p.m. and relaxes during his freetime.
Marquez’s food intake — which is high in protein and low in carbohydrates — is closely monitored and this consists of chicken, fish, eggs and vegetables and lots of fruits and fruit juices.
"This fight against Pacquiao is definitely an opportunity for me to seek revenge and also a tremendous victory, as I plan on having, for my career. It will give me the truly highest honor of being among the other great Mexican warriors who have come before and whose names stand throughout the incredible boxing history of our great country. Also it will give me the fame, glory and the commercial boxing value that is at the top of the sport," added Marquez, whose sparmates include Nicaraguan Eusebio Osejo, Venezuelan Rafael Hernandez and Japanese Norio Kimura.
Source:mb.com.ph
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