Juan Manuel Marquez took four fights to finally beat Manny Pacquiao in December last year, and his stunning knock out of Pacquiao is easily one of the most memorable wins in boxing history.
The only man to brutally knock out the eight-division world champion however feels that Pacquiao's opponent on November 24, Brandon Rios, does not have the fastness to beat his old foe.
"It will be interesting to see what working with Alex Ariza will do to him in terms of speed. Because maybe Rios will get much stronger and we may see the best Rios, but that does not mean that a fighter who is mechanical will have the necessary speed to beat Pacquiao," Marquez told theboxingscene.com.
The Mexican also praised his old nemesis, saying that Pacquiao is strong and fast and can deal with these types of opponents. He also said he anticipates a strong comeback for the Filipino ring icon after getting knocked out the last time out. "The only thing that could change is how Pacquaio reacts after that knockout. If Rios gives him a good punch, let's see if a bad memory comes in," he suggested.
Marquez's thoughts certainly hold a lot of weight considering that he spent 42 rounds in the ring with Pacquiao in four fight series that could go down as one of the most competitive and intense in the storied history of boxing.
Pacquaio is returning to the ring on November 24 against Rios in Macau after an 11-month hiatus. The Filipino boxing superstar is itching to prove his detractors that he is still among the best boxers in the world.
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