Juan Manuel Marquez poses for photographers upon arriving at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Monday, Nov. 7, 2011, in Las Vegas. Juan Manuel Marquez will face Manny Pacquiao for the world welterweight championship on Saturday. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) (AP2011)
Like many of his fans, Juan Manuel Márquez believes he should have won his previous fights against Manny Pacquiao.
"I think we haven't had the results," Marquez told Fox News Latino after a recent workout. "It hasn't gone the way people expected it and the way the judges saw the fight and how we expected it to be."
In their first match-up in 2004, Márquez was knocked down not once, but three times, only to battle back and go the full 12 rounds against Pacman.
Despite his efforts, the judges saw the fight differently and scored it a draw in their first meeting back. During the rematch in 2008, Márquez was once again knocked down early but fought from behind.
At the end of the match, however, the judge gave the win and Márquez’s Super Featherweight belt to Pacquiao, despite CompuBox statistics saying that Márquez landed more jabs and power punches than Pacquiao.
Fast forward to Saturday night, when the Mexico City native will try one more time in his 18-year career to get that elusive win against the person many consider the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.
If Márquez wants to snap Pacquiao’s streak of 14 straight victories, he could take some pointers from countryman Erik Morales, who in 2005 was the last fighter to be the Filipino fighter.
Márquez said that he is confident in the pre-fight strategy set-up by legendary trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristáin.
"What we're going to do differently this time around is work a lot on my speed and strength,” Márquez said. “All of the experience that I've had throughout my career will be essential for this fight."
For his fight against Pacquiao, Márquez will return to the welterweight division after claiming his last three wins as a lightweight, including June’s controversial fight against Colombian Likar Ramos, who many suspect took a dive to the mat and wasn't really knocked out.
The Mexican fighter lost by unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September 2009 while fighting in that weight class and afterward said that he would not fight as a welterweight because it robbed him of his speed.
"We've been working very hard. For this fight we have been working hard to get to the weight that we want. I think that the work that we have put forth, the change that we have gone over has worked for us," he said.
The Azteca Guerrero, who's been guided by courage and determination throughout his many years in the ring, claims that his body and state of mind are ready for Saturday night.
"I'm not sensing anything," Márquez said. "I think that this preparation and what I have done in my training sessions have given me the peace of mind and the confidence I need to come in well into this fight. I'm not feeling any type of pressure."
Win, lose or draw, one question remains: will the veteran keep fighting. Márquez was coy in his response.
"I don't know," Márquez said. “We're focused on the fight and independently of the results, we will see what happens. We're are going to come concentrated to win and we're not thinking about it before the fight but think independently of what happens (after the fight)."
Adry Torres, who has covered MLB, NFL, NBA and NCAA basketball games and related events, is a regular contributor to Fox News Latino. He can be reached at elpiloto137@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @adrytorresnyc.
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