Marquez dangerous fighter despite odds

MANILA, Philippines - Juan Manuel Marquez isn’t given much of a chance to upset WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in their 12-round bout in Las Vegas on Nov. 12 but despite the 8-1 odds favoring the Filipino icon, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum is convinced the Mexican is a dangerous opponent who can’t be taken lightly.

 “Those are crazy odds,” said Arum, referring to the betting line, during his recent visit to Manila to kick off the World Press Tour for the fight. “Anytime Manny fights, he’s going to be the big favorite because he’s just so popular. If it’s not Manny fighting, the odds will be different under the same circumstances. Remember that Manny and Marquez fought twice before and both fights were close. So it doesn’t really make sense to put Manny an 8-1 favorite for the third fight. But that’s Manny. If it were two other fighters with the same history, the odds would probably be even.”

Arum said what makes Marquez a tough opponent for Pacquiao is his counter-punching style.

 “Sure, Marquez is a dangerous opponent for Manny,” said Arum. “You saw how close their first two fights were. Marquez has to be the best counterpuncher in boxing today. He’s very effective when up against someone who attacks like Manny. It’s his style. Marquez likes it when his opponent charges in.”

Arum pointed out that when Marquez battled Floyd Mayweather Jr., he faced a fighter who wouldn’t engage. Mayweather badly outclassed Marquez and won on a lopsided unanimous decision. “Mayweather took Marquez out of his style,” explained Arum. “He didn’t engage, he moved around and popped from a distance. That’s how you beat Marquez because he’s not able to counterpunch effectively against a guy who isn’t taking the fight to him.”

Pacquiao and Mayweather are poles apart in terms of fighting style. Pacquiao is a relentless volume puncher who puts a lot of pressure on his opponents while Mayweather is a slickster, using his boxing skills to control the pace of the fight. It’s what makes a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown a potential box office blockbuster.

Another thing about Marquez that impressed Arum is his ability to recover from a sticky situation. “Marquez has gone down in a lot of fights,” he said. “Against Manny, he was floored four times, thrice in the first fight and once in the second. But he never gave up and in fact, took Manny to the limit twice. He was decked by Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis but got up to come back firing. That’s also what makes Marquez such an exciting fighter. He refuses to surrender.”

To warm up for Pacquiao, Marquez took on Colombian Likar Ramos, a southpaw, in Mexico last July 16. What was supposed to be a workout turned out to be a cakewalk as Marquez knocked out Ramos at 1:47 of the first. Boxing News writer Kenneth Sam-Bouhairie wondered about Ramos’ backbone as it appeared the Colombian took the easy way out before getting seriously hurt. “Never before have I seen a fighter fall in that manner, attempting to regain his balance, falling and then closing his eyes once his butt hits the canvas,” he wrote. “It doesn’t explain (Ramos) being knocked out cold on the canvas after seemingly bracing himself for the fall.”

Marquez, 28, raised his record to 53-5-1, including 39 KOs, and shut the lights out on Ramos with a perfect right straight – the same punch he’ll use in trying to penetrate Pacquiao’s left-handed defense.