The brash Mexican called on boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao to face him so they could prove once and for all who between the two of them is the better fighter.Marquez made the challenge shortly after disposing of Michael Katsidis in the ninth round of their title fight to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) lightweight belts at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Pacquiao, Pacquiao, Pacquiao, I sound like a broken record already,” said Marquez during the post-fight interview.
“I will fight him at 140 or even 142 lbs. I know he can make that weight as when he fought Margarito,” added the soft-spoken Mexican. He noted how Pacquiao, his long-time rival, came in at 144 lbs. at the official weigh-in of his recent super-welterweight fight with Antonio Margarito.
The challenge Marquez hurled is just the latest in a series his camp has made on the 31-year-old Pacquiao, the same fighter whom he turned down in 2004 when a rematch was in the planning stage. That controversial title fight had ended in a draw. Pacquiao knocked Marquez thrice in a blazing start in that action-packed bout. But the Mexican stood up each time, rallied in the later rounds, and eventually salvaged a draw to retain his featherweight belts.
A return match was immediately worked on, but the Marquez camp turned down the proposed 50-50 split of the purse. Marquez eventually relented to a second meeting with the Pacman in 2008. It was a bloody encounter that saw the Filipino pride escaping with a controversial split decision, a result that obviously didn’t sit well with the Mexican fighter. Up to this day, Marquez insists he won both times over Pacquiao, now the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter.
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