By Keith Idec

Trainer Freddie Roach has predicted a knockout win for Manny Pacquiao in his third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.

Marquez has predicted a knockout victory of his own.

Pacquiao, though, refrained from predicting anything other than another win when they fight for Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title.

“I’m not saying I’m going to knock him out, but I’ve been training hard for this fight,” Pacquiao said. “We did a lot of things, [made] a lot of sacrifices for this training camp. If the knockout comes, it’ll come.”

When asked a second time if he thinks he’ll stop Marquez 3½ years after they last fought, the ever-polite Pacquiao didn’t budge.

“If the knockout comes, it will come,” Pacquiao, 32, said. “That’s a bonus for the hard work that I did. But I worked hard for this fight, to make sure I’m ready for the fight and I’m in 100-percent condition on that night.”

Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) floored Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) three times during the first round of their first fight 7½ years ago in Las Vegas. Marquez somehow survived the Filipino southpaw’s onslaught in the first round, made an amazing comeback during that 12-round featherweight fight and earned a draw.

The powerful Pacquiao also dropped Marquez once in the third round of their rematch, which was contested at junior lightweight. Pacquiao went on to win a split decision.

Marquez wasn’t able to knock down Pacquiao in any of the 24 rounds they’ve fought. Pacquiao is, however, the only one of the two fighters who has been knocked out as a professional fighter.

He hasn’t been knocked out in over 12 years, not since Thailand’s Medgoen “3-K Battery” Singsurat stopped him in the third round of their WBC flyweight title fight in September 1999. Obscure Filipino fighter Rustico Torrecampo previously knocked out Pacquiao in the third round of a flyweight fight in February 1996.

Four of the 38-year-old Marquez’s five defeats have come by way of 12-round decisions. He also lost his first professional fight by first-round disqualification in May 1993.

Keith Idec covers boxing for the Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.