Pacquiao Vs. Marquez: Marquez Must Prepare For Bigger Pacquiao’s Power

Juan Manuel Marquez is fully aware of the power punching of Manny Pacquiao. The two men have fought twice, once with Manny weighing in at 125 and the rematch with Manny at 129. Marquez was knocked to the mat three times in the first round of their first battle and once in the rematch. In the four years since the second bout, Manny has gone up in weight going as high as welterweight.

Given the troubles of Marquez in dealing with the bigger Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in 2009, it’s only natural to wonder how Marquez will handle the new, bigger Pacquiao.

Shane Mosley is a naturally bigger man than either fighter and he told Fight Hype that Pacquiao’s power is legit:

“He has some different hitting power. He’s not physically strong, but he hits pretty good, like he has a good snap or something. He’s got something in his hands where he just, pop, and you can wobble. He can hurt you. ... It must be the way he throws his punches. he’s not that fast... He has decent speed, but it’s not like, ‘Oh my God, this guy is so fast.’ I felt Mayweather was faster than Pacquiao. ... With Pacquiao, he just touches you and you’re already wobbling.”

To his credit, Marquez said to the Manila Bulletin that “The first round is going to be tough for me because Pacquiao will be looking for the knockout.”

Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook drills down into the real story of the fight and how the history and changes in each fighter is setting up:

Marquez can still box his ass off and is tougher than nails, but he’s a lot less mobile than he was three years ago when he and Pacquiao last met. At one time, his style was the perfect counter to Manny. But they’ve both changed: Marquez has lost a step, and Manny has gotten stronger. If Pacquiao has lost just a hair, that has come against big welterweights in Mosley and Margarito. Marquez is not a big welterweight. He’s a tiny welterweight, and a small lightweight.