KO or not Pacquiao eyes convincing win against Marquez

Manny Pacquiao doesn't care whether he beats Juan Manuel Marquez by knockout or not as long as he scores a convincing win against his Mexican rival on Sunday (Manila time) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. "I'm gonna win the fight," the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion said with conviction. While he did floored his Mexican foe four times in their two previous meetings, the 32-year-old champion said knocking out Marquez is not his primary goal. "I'm not aiming for a knockout. If there's an opportunity, I'll go for it. A knockout win will be a bonus for all the hard work I have down while training for this fight." "But even without the knockout, I believe I can win the fight," added Pacquiao. Marquez, the so-called Aztec warrior from Mexico City, is also not thinking about scoring a knockout win, but believes a knockdown is possible if one of them gets careless inside the ring. "If either one of us gets careless in there, he's getting knocked out, so you have to be very careful in there," said the 38-year-old challenger. The animosity between the two had its roots in 2004 when, as skinny featherweights, they banged each other for 12 brutal rounds. That match ended in a disputed draw even though Pacquiao decked Marquez thrice in a blazing opening round. Pacquiao, aided by a third-round knockdown, escaped with a 12-round split decision in their rematch four years later. "We know each other so well, I think that will help to make it a great fight, " said Marquez. — JVP, GMA News
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