Marquez Warns Pacquiao about Complacency
By James Blears
Photo © Chris Cozzone/FightWireImages
WBC Super Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez is warning Manny Pacquiao to NOT take it easy in his preparations, just because he mauled Marco Antonio Barrera the first time around.
Marquez who’s training to defend his title against Rocky Juarez on September 15th at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, cautioned: “If Manny thinks this is going to be an easy fight against Marco, and he’s easing off his training, it could be a wrong step in his career.”
Business decisions and promotional spats (fortunately now resolved), have so far prevented Juan and Manny from fighting a re-match, following their controversial and classic thrilla, in which Manny matted Juan thrice in round one, and Juan rose, to fight back for a draw.
Marquez’s initial opponent for this upcoming fight, Jorge Barrios had to pull out after an eye test discovered retina tears, so Rocky is getting the shot. Juan is putting himself though an intensive three month training regime to be ready. He paid tribute to him saying:
“I know Rocky Juarez is a warrior in the ring. He hasn’t got a great boxing technique, but he hits hard, and there are lots of risks in this fight with him.”
However Juan is still mystified why Manny who’s his mandatory number one challenger, is first fighting Marco first. He commented:
“The WBC has put Manny as my number one challenger, but it seems he doesn’t want to fight. Who knows why, but its been done in a business way. I think he thought he would put two checks in his pocket instead of one. Marco first and if he wins possibly a fight with me.
“If I was number one challenger and I didn’t want to fight for the title, I would expect the number one position to be left vacant.
“Manny has already fought both of us. He knocked out Marco, but we drew, and I think that Manny is bearing that in mind, namely that he’ll have an easy fight with Marco.”
As for Manny’s non attendance as captain of his country’s team versus Mexico in last weekend’s boxing and his abrupt flight all the way home, with Freddie Roach following him, Juan again doesn’t know what to make of it. But he did say:
“Why I don’t really know, but all sports should be taken seriously, especially boxing. There is never a small enemy in the ring. There is always a big threat! When you go into boxing you have to dedicate yourself to it.”
That said, Juan does have immense respect for Manny as a fighter. He said: “Manny is a heavy hitter. He also boxes differently from all the other Filipino fighters, and his southpaw style is a difficult one.
“For a fight against Manny, you have to prepare really well, because it’s always going to be very hard. But his power does tend to diminish after six or seven rounds.
“The strategy to defeat Manny is to box him, connect your punches with speed and power, not to get caught, and above all to use intelligence.”
Following his pasting by Manny, Marco conceded his mind had not been fully on the job at hand, because of the controversy surrounding his surgery, and the wild fires which disrupted his training camp.
Juan understands, but not necessarily fully agree. He added: “Excuses are always under the ring, and when you loose, you should not dig them out. Marco said himself that he was lacking in concentration. But that’s too bad. You must concentrate in every fight. You can’t even afford to blink!”
And Juan readily admits that he himself went into the first fight with Manny with too much confident pride, which preceded three falls. He recalls: “The lesson I learned is not to think that any fight at this level is easy. That is why this happened in round one with Manny, but after that I altered my path.”
Brother Rafael who’s just lost his WBC Super Bantamweight title to Israel Vazquez via an eight round TKO is having a short well deserved holiday. Juan says he understands that fight three which will be the decider, has already been signed for next February.
Juan said Rafael won the first encounter with Israel Vazquez handily. But in fight two: “He committed the error of standing and trading, trying to compete with Israel’s style.
“If Rafael had stuck to his style he could have defeated Israel and probably have knocked him out. Rafael lacked intelligence in the second fight.
“So for fight three, Rafael will have to work on the technical side of his boxing, because to defeat Israel Vasquez you have to box.”