While the third encounter between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez was similar to its predecessors given the fierce and competitive nature of the fight, there were a few new subplots surrounding the November 12th trilogy bout.
Angel Hernandez, formerly known as Angel Heredia, was a fresh face in Marquez’s camp this time around as he served as the Mexico City marvel’s strength and conditioning coach for the first time. During the lead up to the event, Hernandez caused some controversy after it was revealed that he had a history of being involved with performance-enhancing drugs, even testifying in a San Francisco Court in 2008 that he had supplied illegal substances to track stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.
*
<--- Bonus slideshow: Go behind the scenes at Pacquiao-Marquez III including an inside look at each man's training, cameos by Mercito Gesta, Amir Khan, Roy Jones, the Tecate Girls, fight night coverage and more
*
Hernandez’s association with one of the sport’s best fighter’s raised some eyebrows but what can’t be disputed is just how prepared Marquez was heading into his most recent clash with Pacquiao, as he pushed the Filipino icon to the limit and seemed to befuddle him at times with his counterpunching and boxing prowess.
And while Marquez would end up losing a highly-debated majority-decision, his performance spoke volumes about how much ability and passion he still has at this point in his career. A fourth fight with Pacquiao still looks to be a serious option and in a recent interview with RingTV.com’s Lem Satterfield, Hernandez stated that Marquez has already agreed to work with him again.
"We're just waiting for the confirmation of the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez,” Hernandez told Satterfield. “I believe that Mr. Bob Arum should be meeting with Zanfer Promotions, Fernando Beltran, Marquez's promoter. They're going to discuss whether or not the fight is going to be done or who Marquez is going to fight next.”
The most lucrative fight for Pacquiao is a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. but the undefeated superstar was recently sentenced to 90 days in jail for his involvement in a September 2010 domestic violence case with his former fiancé’ Josie Harris and two of his children. Mayweather is scheduled to begin his sentence on January 6th, leaving his proposed May 5th return practically by the wayside.
Marquez is one of the most formidable names left for Pacquiao at this point but a rematch with Miguel Cotto and fights with junior welterweight champions Lamont Peterson and Tim Bradley are also options.
Hernandez pointed out that he is ready to begin training with Marquez in either late January or early February but is unsure if Pacquiao will again be willing to test the waters after struggling the last time out.
“Well, think about it,” said Hernandez. “A guy who is almost 39 years old fought what he thought was his best fight ever. He told me that it was his best performance ever. Definitely, the training that we did and all of the training that we've done had a tremendous positive impact on the fight.
“That's one of the reasons why Pacquiao is kind of not sure whether he wants to fight Marquez again. Marquez is ready to sign the contract. But I believe that Mr. Pacquiao is kind of being picky about it. So that's your answer right there.”
Asked to elaborate, Hernandez feels that Marquez will only flourish more under a second camp with him.
“Pacquiao felt Marquez's punches and he saw his speed,” Hernandez stated. “I believe that if their fight comes off in May, that we're going to have a bigger impact. We'll have had a better training and longer training preparation and it will be a much better fight for Marquez.”
*
For exclusive images of Nonito Donaire in training for Vazquez please visit the slideshow on the left or check out Donaire opens up Vegas camp for Vazquez Jr. clash
*
*** For bonus images of Manny Pacquiao's memorable 2011 campaign, please visit 2011 in Pictures: Putting Pacquiao's year into perspective
*
IMAGES FROM THE BOXING WORLD
Guillermo Rigondeaux trains for Ramos - Shots of the Cuban star training down in South Florida for his January 20th date against Rico Ramos
The Pacquiao-Marquez Weigh-in - A look at the intense weigh in between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, including shots of Holyfield, Barrerra, Chavez Jr., several fans shots and more
A look inisde the final Pacquiao-Marquez III presser -Candid shots of the two fighters' teams, a cameo appearance by Amir Khan, the Tecate Girls, and more
Behind the scenes at Pacquiao's Vegas Grand Arrival -Go behind the scenes at Manny Pacquiao arrives to Las Vegas amidst a sea of fans for his clash with Juan Manuel Marquez
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com. Please follow him atwww.Twitter.com/CRHarmony
Comments