Marquez to Pacquiao: I will give you a real fight

Juan Manuel Marquez vows to give Manny Pacquiao the kind of action Sugar Shane Mosley failed to deliver. One of the most skilled fighters to ever come out of Mexico, Marquez looms as Pacquiao's next possible opponent later this year. "I'm sure that when I face Manny people will see a real fight," said Marquez, who was at ringside when Pacquiao decisioned Mosley in a lopsided fight for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship belt last Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas. "People wanted to see a fight and unfortunately the styles (of Mosley and Pacquiao) did not accommodate them (crowd)," said Marquez, who would be turning 38 should a third and final fight with the Filipino boxing superstar pushes through in November. Pacquiao, the reigning world pound-for-pound champion, and Marquez first fought at the featherweight division in 2004 with the bout ending in a controversial draw even after the Filipino southpaw floored his Mexican rival three-times in an action-packed first round. Four years later, the two met in a rematch that saw Pacquiao edging out Marquez in a controversial split decision at the junior lightweight class. This time they may likely meet at a catch-weight of 144 or 145 pounds. "It's 145," said Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz. "We've had general discussions with Top Rank (CEO) Bob Arum, but we haven't sat down (Manny and I have yet) to make a decision," said Koncz.

In case Marquez gets a third shot at Pacquiao, he's likely to tap the services of a new trainer in Olympic medalist Alfonso Zamora. Zamora is expected to take over the place of long-time Marquez trainer Nacho Beristain, who was the Mexican's chief corner man in his two previous fights with Pacquiao. A silver medalist in the 1972 Munich Olympics, Zamora, 57, was a former World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight champion who defended his title 10 times. Among the fighters he defeated on the way to winning a silver medal in the quadrennial Games was our very own Ricardo Fortaleza. - JVP, GMA News