"I don't feel added pressure. What I do feel is more incentive to win than I have in a very long time. This will be a fight that will end all of the controversy that Juan Manuel Marquez has brought up over the previous two fights. It will answer all questions...I think what will make this fight the best of the three is that I have become a more complete fighter. I have more weapons than I did the last time we met. Our styles always guaranteed excitement for the fans and for us. Now I have a right hand and lateral movement that I didn't have in the first two fights. It will be the best fight yet...He's a great counterpuncher and the only one who has ever figured out my style of fighting. He's very strong and strong-willed. I expect another tough and rough 12 rounds on November 12," stated Congressman, Filipino icon, and pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao, who spoke openly about his third and final showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez. In this candid interview, Pacquiao shares his thoughts on the history he has shared with Marquez, the journey he has taken to get to this point of his career, and much more. Check it out!
CM: As spectacular as the first two fights were with Marquez, do you feel added pressure going into this fight to make it the best of three? What do you think will make this fight the best of the trilogy?
MP: I don't feel added pressure. What I do feel is more incentive to win than I have in a very long time. This will be a fight that will end all the controversy that Juan Manuel Marquez has brought up over the previous two fights. It will answer all questions. I think what will make this fight the best of the three is that I have become a more complete fighter. I have more weapons than I did the last time we met. Our styles always guaranteed excitement for the fans and for us. Now I have a right hand and lateral movement that I didn't have in the first two fights. It will be the best fight yet.
CM: In the 1st round of the first fight between you and Marquez, you basically weren't given credit for 3 knockdowns. Due to that scoring error, the fight resulted in a draw. Do you consider this 3rd fight to be crucial as a way of settling the controversy that has lasted over a decade?
MP: I do. One judge admitted he didn't know he was allowed to score the first round 10-6 and he scored it 10-7 and that was the difference between a Draw and a victory for me. This time I need to set the pace and not follow his. I have worked very hard in training camp to end this trilogy and the controversy in my favor. This fight means everything to me.
CM: This will be your first fight since the trilogy with Erik Morales where you will be the bigger man in the ring. Will you implement a more aggressive fight plan to be the survivor – outhit, outpunch, outlast Marquez?
MP: That is part of my plan. I will utilize my speed, my power and my movement. I don't plan on surviving; I plan on winning.
CM: This trilogy, Pacquiao vs. Marquez, is one that is unique as it spans eleven years. What was the defining factor that finally made this third fight happen? That being said, can we expect to see a fourth fight in 2014?
MP: The timing was right. Since our last fight, we both had many quality victories over very strong opponents. It has always been in my mind to return to Marquez for one more fight because of all the alibis he offered up about the first two fights. I'm very happy we have the opportunity for a third fight. As for 2014 and a fourth fight, our next encounter may be on a basketball court.
CM: You have knocked Marquez down 5 times (6 if you count one that was ruled a slip), so will you go for the knockout this time instead of the TKO's that have been ending your fights since Hatton?
MP: I will be doing my best to win and to give the fans a good fight. Both are equally important to me. I never make predictions, but I have trained hard for this fight and it will be a great fight.
CM: You haven't knocked a fighter out since your fight against Hatton. We all know it's not because you can't. It seems you won't when you see that the gap is wide and you're clearly winning. You've shown a lot of humanity for your opponents and have asked referees to stop the fight. Where does the man "Emmanuel Pacquiao" stand at the intersection of humanity and a blood sport like boxing?
MP: I am a professional athlete and a natural competitor. I like to win. Boxing is a rough sport and injuries and knockouts are part of the game. I always pray for my opponents' safety before every fight. I'll just leave it at that.
CM: You seem to be a fighter that wins not by a killer instinct, but one that is always in control of his mind. Is your mental game the most important weapon in your arsenal? If not, what is?
MP: I think it is. I need to be mentally prepared when I enter the ring so that I can follow the game plan developed in training and follow Freddie Roach's instructions between rounds. It's not unlike chess. You have to see the whole board and anticipate the moves.
CM: Boxers change, some for the better, some not. Do you feel like Marquez will fight a different fight this time around? How do you think he [Marquez] has changed as a fighter, if at all, since the two of you last met in the ring in 2008?
MP: Until I get into the ring with Juan Manuel Marquez, it is impossible to gauge how he has changed. I will say I have been very impressed with the tape I've watched, where he's become a fine lightweight champion beating men much younger. He's very strong and a terrific counterpuncher.
CM: You and Marquez have both traveled two different journeys. You have continued to get better, stronger, wiser, without much or any body or head damage. What is your take on Marquez' journey thus far? How do you think it will affect his performance against you in this fight?
MP: I think Marquez has been on a similar track. I discount his loss to Floyd Mayweather. It was a bad fight for him to take.
CM: What do you think it was about Marquez' style in the past that seemed to have given you more trouble than most other fighters you have faced?
MP: He's a great counterpuncher and the only one who has ever figured out my style of fighting. He's very strong and strong-willed. I expect another tough and rough 12 rounds on November 12.
CM: Floyd Mayweather started at 106 in the Olympics and you started at 108 in the pros, you both have won titles from 130-154 lbs. Your careers really have mirrored each other in nearly every weight class, so why do you think he continues to suggest that you may have used PEDs when he insists he hasn't?
MP: I don't understand him. I do pray for him.
CM: Everyone asks when you're fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., but I don't recall anyone ever asking you why you think that Mayweather hasn't fought you yet and why the negotiations have been drawn out?
MP: You would have to ask him.
CM: How were you able to overcome 2 early losses in your career and a couple of draws, yet fight approximately 50 fights in a row against fighters that were primarily larger than you?
MP: You analyze the reasons for the losses and return to training camp with a mission to correct mistakes and improve. I know what I am capable of and I enjoy training camp and learning new things. I think a major attribute of mine is that I'm a good student and it helps that I'm trained by a great teacher in Freddie Roach.
CM: The dream doesn't define a conquest; the journey does. Is your journey filled with purpose, not only in the sport, but in all you do?
MP: I think so. Boxing is my passion but public service is my calling. Both are a huge responsibility that bring me great honor. As a fighter, I bring a lot of pride to my countrymen. As a Congressman, I try to raise the quality of their lives by representing them their issues to government.
Congressman Pacquiao is in the final ten days of intense training for his defense of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against three-division world champion Juan Manuel Márquez. Pacquiao will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight, November 3, and is being swarmed by the media for a moment of his attention as he approaches the highly anticipated bout. The humble warrior, however, is not easily distracted from his goal and is looking forward to meeting his adversary on the grandest stage of all to close the final chapter on a story in need of an ending.
On Saturday, November 12, 2011, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) and Juan Manual Márquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) will meet for the third time to settle the score. The trilogy spans eleven years. One has been donned the Pride of the Philippines; the other carries the title, the Pride of Mexico. Considering how much pride is in one squared circle whenever both men step into the ring, it is no surprise that the first two fights sparked controversy that has not taken a rest in over a decade. In 2004, the dynamic duo's first fight ended in a draw. In 2008, Pacquiao won by way of split decision. The two fighters have amassed world titles in eleven weight divisions between them. While Marquez is a 5-1 underdog, he should not be underestimated, as there are few fights as great as when a Mexican fighter steps into the ring to claim his right of being called the best.
The Pacquiao vs. Marquez trilogy may not be either fighter's legacy, but this third fight is one that should not be missed; it will be a moment in history in a very old sport. It isn't necessarily the bigger or stronger man that wins in boxing. The fastest and smartest man that walks into the ring with his heart on fire is usually in control of the ring on fight night.
A boxer doesn't become an eight-division world champion, having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes, without passion, speed, focus, confidence, and situational intelligence, all of which Manny Pacquiao owns and can say, 'I AM.'
Pacquiao vs. Marquez III is promoted by Top Rank, in association with MP Promotions, Márquez Boxing, Tecate and MGM Grand, The Pacquiao-Márquez III world championship telecast, which begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 92 million pay-per-view homes. Remaining closed circuit tickets, priced at $50, are on sale and available at all Las Vegas MGM Resorts properties. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry.
Episode No. 3 of the all-access reality series "24/7 Pacquiao/Márquez" premieres This Saturday! November 5, at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
Don't miss this moment in the history of boxing.