Marquez' suicide wish

Someone should advise WBO and WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez to get real because his calling out Rep. Manny Pacquiao for a third face-off is suicidal.

After whipping a badly outclassed Juan Diaz in Las Vegas last Saturday, Marquez announced his availability to take on Pacquiao in November if Top Rank chairman Bob Arum finds no suitable opponent for the Filipino ring icon. The Mexican is conjuring visions of a trilogy after holding Pacquiao to a split 12-round draw in 2004 and losing a split 12-round decision in a rematch in 2008.

“(Pacquiao) knows I can beat him so that’s why he stays away,” said Marquez. “I think we’ll meet again before we’re done.” From Marquez’ pronouncements, it seems like he’s living in a fantasy world. Either there are loose marbles in his head or Marquez has a wild imagination.

Since turning pro in 1993, Marquez has compiled a 51-5-1 record, including 37 KOs. Maybe, the wear and tear of a long career has clouded Marquez’ thinking. After the draw with Pacquiao, Marquez turned down a $750,000 offer for a rematch to take on and later lose to Chris John on points in Indonesia in 2006. By the way, Marquez was paid only $31,250 for the John fight.

The return bout with Pacquiao eventually took place in 2008 and Marquez, who was floored in the third round, lost on a split decision.

In all, Marquez has been dropped four times by Pacquiao – thrice in the first round of their first encounter. For the record, the first fight should’ve gone to Pacquiao on a split decision as judge Burt Clements, who scored it 113-all, admitted his mistake in scoring the opening round 10-7 instead of 10-6 because of the three knockdowns. The two other judges John Stewart and Guy Jutras scored the first round 10-6. In the end, Stewart had it 115-110 for Pacquiao and Jutras, 115-110 for Marquez.

Marquez, not Pacquiao, was lucky to escape with a draw in the first meeting. Pacquiao was unlucky to be robbed of a win on a judge’s error.

For Marquez to claim that Pacquiao is avoiding him at this stage of their careers is pure nonsense. Marquez turns 37 on Aug. 23 and retirement beckons. Since losing to Pacquiao in 2008, he has posted a 3-1 record, the last two bouts going the distance. Pacquiao, in contrast, has won five in a row, four by knockout, since the Marquez rematch and is in his prime.

Besides, Pacquiao has moved up to the welterweight division. In case Marquez is unaware, Pacquiao now reigns as WBO welterweight champion. Marquez scaled 133 1/2 pounds for the Diaz fight last Saturday, compared to Pacquiao’s 145 3/4 for his one-sided win over Joshua Clottey last March. Clearly, both fighters are now two worlds apart in terms of their weight classes. As a welterweight, Pacquiao campaigns two divisions higher than Marquez.

Marquez checked in at 142 pounds, the heaviest in his career, for the Floyd Mayweather fight last September and it was evident the excess weight put him at a disadvantage. He was nothing more than a blown-up lightweight and couldn’t bring his speed or power to the next level. The experiment was disastrous. Marquez was knocked down once and lost a unanimous decision by wide margins – 120-107, 119-108 and 118-109. If ever Marquez and Pacquiao meet again, the Filipino will make short work of the Mexican – three rounds, max.

Last Saturday’s win over Diaz was far from impressive. Marquez hit Diaz with some good shots but the Baby Bull was never in serious trouble. He couldn’t pin down Diaz and cut the ring off. Marquez wasn’t as deadly or as quick as he was when he stopped Diaz in their first bout last year. Age has caught up with the Mexican. Once known as Dinamita, Marquez is now just an unobtrusive firecracker.

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FEU is head and shoulders above the rest in the UAAP senior men’s basketball race as the league’s only unbeaten team with a 6-0 record. And the Tamaraws still haven’t gotten the most out of Smart-Gilas cager J. R. Cawaling.

There’s some pressure on Cawaling to produce big numbers. After all, he’s in coach Rajko Toroman’s rotation with the national team. But coach Glenn Capacio isn’t rushing Cawaling who’s readjusting his style to suit the UAAP flow after playing small in overseas games with Gilas.

Another Gilas player in the FEU roster is Aldrech Ramos who has picked up from where he left off last season when he was runner-up to Ateneo’s Rabeh Al-Hussaini in the MVP derby.

This year, the Tamaraw making a big difference is sophomore point guard R. R. (Ryan Roose) Garcia.

FEU team owner Anton Montinola said Garcia is contributing more to the varsity than Mark Barroca did in his heyday.

“Garcia and Barroca are both from Zamboanga, play the same position but they’re like night and day,” said Montinola. “Garcia’s father is a Marine and the military upbringing shows in his approach to the game. R. R. is a disciplined player. He’s a point guard like Mark but his mindset is different. He gets along with his teammates. He likes to play within the team concept.”