Heavier, bigger Marquez to face Manny in rematch

Manila, Philippines - Juan Manuel Marquez will try to make sure he doesn’t give up too much in size against Manny Pacquiao when they meet in November.

Marquez, who will soon turn 38, said he will bulk up for the WBO welterweight title fight, pegged at a catchweight of 144 pounds.

But he said he will need the help of doctors to do it.

“I will come in a higher weight than normal,” the reigning lightweight champion from Mexico told The Examiner yesterday.

Marquez is fighting at the 135 pound division but has fought once at 142, against Floyd Mayweather in May of 2009.

He was not a pretty sight at 142 pounds, going down once against Mayweather before dropping a unanimous decision.

Against Pacquiao, now the most feared fighter in the 147 pound class, Marquez wants to make it pretty even – both in size and speed.

“But I will have doctors monitoring my progress,” he told Ricardo Lois of The Examiner.

The fight takes place on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand, but before that, Marquez wants a tuneup match in July, hopefully against David Diaz.

After losing to Mayweather, Marquez went back home to 135 pounds, fought Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, and looked nice.

But Pacquiao looked even nicer in his lopsided wins over true welterweights Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley.

However, the challenge to fight Pacquiao for a third time, in a weight class higher than his current place, is too much for Marquez to ignore.

Besides, he’s getting $5 million against Pacquiao, plus a share in everything else, and a possibility of another rematch, and a $10 million purse, if he wins in November.

“Matching Pacquiao’s speed and rhythm are key. The doctors I work with will help me maintain my speed,” he said.