Pacquiao still amenable to Marquez trilogy

MANILA, Philippines – He hasn’t even begun formally training for Oscar de la Hoya, yet talk of Manny Pacquiao facing a familiar foe for a third installment couldn’t be tempered down. In a sendoff media conference held Sunday in Makati, Pacquiao was asked the customary de la Hoya questions. But touching on Juan Manuel Marquez, who debuted in style in the lightweight division over the weekend, was inevitable. “I’m willing to fight him any time. But since I will be the promoter, he must first accept all the conditions I will ask including a smaller purse [for him]," Pacquiao said. Marquez floored erstwhile undefeated Cuban Joel Casamayor in the 11th round in Marquez’s first foray in the 135lb division, a shift many alluded to Marquez’s desire to face Pacquiao a third time. Pacquiao defeated Marquez via split decision earlier this year. The first time they met in 2004, the match was called a draw. “If he agrees to the conditions, I know he is fighting for honor and I will fight him. If not, he’s only after getting big purse," added Pacquiao. Meanwhile, Pacquiao said being considered the underdog in the de la Hoya match would benefit him. Boxing odds have shown that de la Hoya is favored over Pacquiao, where bets are pegged at minus-240 for the Golden Boy and plus-190 for the Filipino slugger. “I like being the underdog in this fight because it will keep me more focused on my training. It will be an additional motivation since I will have to prove myself against de la Hoya," Pacquiao said. Pacquiao said he believes that de la Hoya would be in his best shape on fight night. But Pacquiao downplayed the Olympic champion’s plans of using Marquez’s fighting style, saying it wouldn’t assure de la Hoya success. “Why would [de la Hoya] do that? Did [Marquez] win against me?" Pacquiao said. Team Pacquiao left at 10 p.m. Sunday night and will arrive in Los Angeles Sunday US time. Monday morning (US time), Pacquiao will immediately plunge into his first training session with Freddie Roach. Pacquiao begins sparring in the second week of October. – GMANews.TV