Juan Manuel Marquez joined the growing list of boxing personalities who are calling for the super fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao before they retire.
Mayweather and Pacquiao is considered as two of best boxers of their generation, but Marquez said in an interview with ESPN Deportes that the two boxing superstars should collide in order to determine who the better fighter is.
Marquez said that Mayweather and Pacquiao, who have been trading barbs over the past several days, should stop making demands and just set aside their respective egos to give boxing fans the fight that they have been asking for over the past four years.
"As a fan, I think the fight should get done and they need to stop the bickering over who wants to earn more than the other," Marquez said, BoxingScene reported. "The most important thing here is that the fight is carried out and [that both of them] stop talking about nonsense - and give the fans what they want - the fight. First thing, they need to make this fight to make it clear who is who."
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, recently expressed optimism that the super fight will eventually happen next year, revealing that CBS CEO Les Moonves, whose company holds rights to Mayweather's fight, told Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum that he could convince the pound-for-pound king to accept the fight.
And if the fight happens next year, Marquez, who has faced both fighters before, believes that Mayweather will win against Pacquiao. The Mexican boxing icon said that Mayweather, who holds a perfect 47-0 record, has the perfect style to counter Pacquiao's vaunted speed and power.
"For me, Mayweather would win," Marquez said. "He is not a puncher, but he is an artist in the ring. He is the best in terms of defense and he's very quick with counter-punches and that's what hurts Pacquiao. He handles timing very well and it is an important factor and a very harmful weapon against Pacquiao."
Marquez is very familiar with Pacquiao's fighting style because he has faced the Filipino boxing icon four times. The first three fights were all close showdowns, but Marquez scored a scintillating knockout win in the fourth fight, where he knocked Pacquiao out cold in the sixth round.
