Better late than never, the trilogy will finally be completed when two modern day greats clash live on Primetime this weekend.
All boxing fans will remember the first two fights as all 24 rounds where hard fought super featherweight classics.
Plenty of water has passed under the bridge since their 2008 encounter and Pacquiao (53-3 38kos) has remarkably risen up through the weight divisions from super featherweight all the way up to Light Middleweight – becoming world champion in all 4 weight divisions and along the way taking down some names such as Mosley, Cotto, Margarito, Hatton, De La Hoya and Clottey.
Marquez (53-5 39kos) has been clearing up the Lightweight division since the Pacman fight in scintillating fashion beating Michael Katsidis, Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor en route to the WBA and WBO crowns.
On the face of it Marquez boasts impressive credentials and deserves his shot at boxing’s main man. But if you dig a little deeper he was wobbled and dropped against Michael Katsidis (which on the face of it doesn’t look so good on the back of last weekend) and being involved in a life and death struggle with the shop worn Joel Casamayor the 38-year-old is beginning to have the look of a fighter at the end of this career.
In Pacquiao he faces an opponent who is certainly explosive in the early stages of his fights having knocked down Mosley, Cotto, Marquez (4 times) and knocked out Ricky Hatton inside of three rounds.
Marquez has been knocked down early against Katsidis and Mayweather and is a fighter who has an air of vulnerability about him in the opening rounds. Pacman is going to be a weight division heavier than him come fight night and I expect him to start the fight fast and explosively and I really can’t see anything else other than a devastating Pacquiao ko victory in the early hours of Sunday morning (03.00).
Daily Sport recommended bets:
0.25 pts win Pacquiao to knock down Marquez in the 1st round – Sky Bet 8/1
1.25 pts win Pacquiao to win inside rounds 1-6 – Ladbrokes 11/5
0.25 pts win Pacquiao to win inside rounds 1-3 – William Hill 7/1
0.25 pts win Pacquiao to win in the first round – William Hill 25/1
Watch the fight LIVE on PRIMETIME
