By Edward Chaykovsky
Veteran trainer Naazim Richardson is very confident that Juan Manuel Marquez can still defeat his career rival, Manny Pacquiao, if the two boxers are matched for a fifth time in 2014.
If Marquez defeats Mike Alvarado on May 17th, and Pacquiao gets revenge on WBO champion Timothy Bradley on April 12, the two of them could possibly face each other later in the year.
The last time they met in December 2012, Marquez got the most conclusive win in their four fight series, with a sixth round knockout.
"I feel Marquez knows how to beat Pacquiao, I’ve always said that and I still stand with that. Marquez knows how to beat Pacquiao. Pacquiao is a special fighter too so he’ll avoid the knockout, but I think Marquez just knows how to beat Pacquiao," Naazim told On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
Marquez felt he was robbed of a decision win in the first three bouts with Pacquiao. If Marquez is unable to score another knockout, Naazim wonders if the judges will give him a decision. The experienced coach could see the judges robbing him of a competitive win.
"I think that can happen to Marquez with a Pacquiao fight now. With the way he was flattened out, if Pacquiao’s just—that’s how I felt he won some of those other fights, his high activity, his hair shaking all over the place, him bouncing around and nothing is really happening. The commentators say, “Pacquiao lands again”….no he didn’t, but you look up and Pacquiao’s got a decision. In that sense, I wouldn’t like to see that happen to Marquez," Naazim said.