Juan Manuel Marquez will beat Manny Pacquiao.
Not in their Nov. 12 Trifecta fight at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, he won't because Pacquiao will close their always fun, always highly competitive series by extending his dominance to two victories and a draw and likely by scoring his fifth and maybe sixth knockdown against the Mexican counterpuncher.
Cosmetically, Marquez IS already the prefight winner.
You see, the "sucker bait" being offered out of Marquez's gym in Mexico City Tuesday was chum for fistic fools.
An admitted steroid dealer and a "rat" who testified against athletes he supplied illegal steroids to named Angel "Memo" Heredia is the person who sculpted the New Juan Ma.
Despite his name, Heredia is no Angel. He's more like a two legged rodent and a squealer to boot. When the feds came calling on drug and money laundering charges, Heredia was turned into--voila--a BALCO witness against jocks.
Look at the flicks, check the videos. See how big, strong and ferocious the 38 year old Marquez looks.
He doesn't look anything like the tiny tot who was completely befuddled by Floyd Mayweather, Jr., does he?
No, he doesn't. He looks like a 147 pound Hercules, cut in all the right places and sporting a nifty six pack where a normal stomach used to be.
If it was a muscleman posedown contest rather than a fight in a 20-foot inside ring, I'd switch my pick and tell you that Juan Ma will win just on barbell strength.
But, in crafting this snazzy bod, Marquez had to sacrifice something. Come on, the man is almost age 40 and he's fighting an almost 33 year old (Pacman's birthday is Dec. 17).
You don't have to be Victor Conte or Alex Ariza to figure it out.
The rippling muscles, the puffed up physique...Juan Ma only got all that by losing the hand and foot speed he had as a magnificent lightweight.
The tradeoff has been made and Marquez will pay the price in the Chapter III bout. The counterpunching skills won't be there as they were four years ago and eight long years ago agsainst an unfinished Manny.
Yeah, Marquez's "guns" are awesome.
Too bad he will only be able to shoot blanks.
(mlcmarley@aol.com)
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