By Ernesto Castellanos, notifight.com
WBO junior welterweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39KOs) is planning to come in at 143, 144-pounds for his fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38KOs) on December 8th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Marquez weighed 142 for his third meeting with Pacquiao last November, when the Mexican champion lost a disputed twelve round majority decision.
Marquez wants to retain as much speed as possible. He believes the judges robbed him of three victories and he wants to secure a knockout victory.
"For this fight we are going to have another great camp. There is no time to spare. We are going to be in great condition to fight Pacquiao at a rapid pace for twelve rounds, or however long the fight lasts. I hope to be more aggressive, because I'm going to pursue a victory by a knockout, and that way I prevent the judges from rendering their own decision on the outcome. Everyone saw me win last time and they stole it from me," Marquez said.
"They will clearly see [on December 8] that at 39-years-old I am still at my peak. I spar with much younger fighters and they become tired and give up. Although the limit of the fight is at 147-pounds, I won't weigh that much. I'm going to climb into the ring at 143 or 144 pounds, which is a weight where I physically feel better."