Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
Is the fourth time the charm? Juan Manuel Marquez certainly hopes so come Saturday night. Marquez and Manny Pacquiao have fought three controversial fights already with Pacquiao getting the better of those exchanges with a record of 2-0-1. But none of this victories have come without major backlash. Their first fight was ruled a draw, then later it was revealed one judge forgot to score the third knockdown that Pacquiao scored which would have given him the victory. The next two fights most people ringside and fans watching at home believed Marquez won, unfortunatley the judges did not feel the same. So on we go to fight number four.
Both fighters will enter the ring Saturday with something to prove. Marquez wants to get that one elusive victory against Paquiao and the latter wants to prove he really has beat Marquez in all three fights. But the Pacquiao of 2012 is not the same Pacquiao of just a few years ago. He is know more heavily involved in outside the ring ventures. He is a congressman in his native Phillipines and is also a big acting and singing star there. He has also become a devout christian. After his fighting career is over no one would be suprised if he became the president of the Phillipines. But for now his focus needs to be in the ring. He holds an impressive record of 54-4-2 with 38 knockouts. He has won titles in 8 different weight classes in a career that saw him start fighting at 106 pounds and ascend to 154 pounds, and fight every name fighter of his generation (besides Floyd Mayweather). He has nothing more to prove and some wonder if that will cause him to not give it his all against Marquez. But when you step in the ring with a true warrior like Marquez you need to be sharp.
Marquez is one of the toughest fighters of all-time. There are not many fighters in the sport who show as much heart as Marquez does on a regular basis. Countless times and has picked himself up off the canvass to come back and finish his opponent. Including a few times against Pacquiao. He holds a strong record of 54-6-1 with 39 knockouts. Like Pacquiao he has also fought name fighters throughout his career. The two big questions that Marquez will face on Saturday are; will the judges finally give him the decision he deserves and will father time finally catch up with him. Unlike his opponent Marquez is strictly focused on boxing; he eats, drinks, and breathes boxing. He loves to be in the ring and also loves to train for a big fight. But father time has crept up on fighters before. Marquez is 39 years old and while he is in excellent physical shape father time is undefeated no matter how strong you appear. Many fighters have been in the middle of a fight when it suddenly seems they lose a step and slow down, and fans know it is father time winning again. Hopefully this doesn't happen to Marquez, but if it does everyone knows he will try to fight his way through it. Marquez wants nothing more before his career is over than a win against his long time rival Pacquiao.
Just like the first three fights expect a ton of action. Marquez and Pacquiao's styles make for great fights against each other. Pacquiao the agressor and Marquez the slick counter puncher. We will see a lot of blood, and a ton of heart, and maybe a man hitting the canvass. When the fight was announced it had many fans rolling their eyes asking why do we need to see this again. But come Sunday anyone who watched the fight the night before will be glad they did. Marquez vs. Pacquiao is always epic and always entertaining.
PREDICTION: Juan Manuel Marquez FINALLY gets the decision he deserves. Marquez by majority decision.
Yuriorkis Gamboa vs. Michael Farenas
While the Pacquiao/Marquez fight doesn't have the most exciting undercard one fight to watch is Yuriorkis Gamboa against Michael Farenas. Gamboa is one of the most talented and exciting fighters in the sport and is on the outskirts of the top 10 p4p rankings. Even when he fights a guy most fans have never heard of you still want to tune in. He is a rare talent.
Gamboa is coming off a long layoff due to contract issues with promoter Top Rank. He last fight was in September of 2011. But that is all in the past now as Gamboa is being promoted by SMS Promotions which is 50 Cent's new venture into the world of boxing. Gamboa is a cuban fighter with a very impressive amateur backround, as most cubans do. He has a perfect record of 21-0 with 16 knockouts. Although he has only fought around four legit opponents his skill level and future as a star in the sport have never been in question. And now that his promotional issues are behind him he should be fighting much more often. On Saturday night he should have no problem handeling his opponent.
That opponent will be the Filipino fighter Farenas. Farenas has mostly fought in the Phillipines against no name opponents. He is 36-3-4 with a strong 26 knockouts. But when you look at his list of opponents his record isn't all that impressive. The only problem that he could give to Gamboa is the fact that he fights in a southpaw stance. But his chances of beating the highly skilled Gamboa are slim.
This fight should not be very entertaining. I fully expect Gamboa to handle Farenas. If Farenas were to even win a round that would be an accomplishment. If he does win a round it would probably come early while Gamboa is still shaking off the rust from his long layoff. I don't expect this fight to go the distance.
PREDICTION: Yuriorkis Gamboa wins by 8th round knockout.
Miguel Vazquez vs. Mercito Gesta
The first fight of the night should also be the worst. It pits Miguel Vazquez against Mercito Gesta. Really nothing to get excited about here. In fact the entire undercard besides Gamboa is pretty weak. If there was any action in this fight I would be shocked. Hopefully the main event makes up for the lack of action on the undercard.
Vazquez is a good fighter but extremley boring to watch. He doesn't care about making a good fight, all he cares about is keeping his lightweight title belt. His last fight was less than a month ago against Marvin Quintero. That fight saw Vazquez rarely exchange blows and instead dance around the ring avoiding punishment or any excitment. He is 29-3 and with only 13 knockouts. Hopefully his opponent won't let him get away with making a boring fight.
Gesta another Filipino fighter on the undercard, which has to be the doing of Manny Pacquiao comes into this fight with an undefeated record. He is 26-0-1 with 14 knockouts. His nickname is "No Mercy" and hopefully he shows none against the boring Vazquez. Most of his wins have come against Filipino or Mexican opponents whose names aren't even worth mentioning. Without a doubt Vazquez will be the biggest challenge of this young southpaw's career.
Don't worry if you miss this fight. Punches will be few and far between and the action will resemble a slug crawling across your porch. Why it is even on the undercard is a mystery and a joke. The only thing big time boxing fans can hope for is that Gesta gets the win so they don't have to watch Vazquez on TV again for awhile.
PREDICTION: Miguel Vazquez wins via split decision.
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