Former world champion Juan Manuel Marquez believes Manny Pacquiao will have a tough time defeating Floyd Mayweather Jr. if their presumed showdown on May 2 will be staged in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marquez has faced both fighters before. The Mexican boxing icon took a lopsided decision loss to Mayweather in 2009, and faced Pacquiao four times before, winning via a sensational knockout in the sixth round of their fourth showdown in December 2012.
Having faced both fighters, Marquez said that Pacquiao has the skills to hurt Mayweather, but will have a difficult time hitting the Grand Rapids native because of the unbeaten champion's excellent defense.
Marquez also pointed out that it will be hard for Pacquiao to score a decision win against Mayweather, saying that the reigning pound-for-pound king enjoys favoritism in Las Vegas.
"It is very difficult to penetrate the guard of Mayweather, but with the speed that Pacquiao has, he can do it," Marquez said. "The coin is in the air, but I know both of those fighters and it is difficult to be able to beat Floyd Mayweather, and even more so because he is a protected fighter in Las Vegas."
Recent reports indicated that Pacquiao has already accepted all terms proposed by Mayweather for the super fight that could take place on Cinco de Mayo weekend at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Boxing analysts believe that Mayweather has no other choice now but to accept the fight against Pacquiao after the Filipino boxing icon told the public that he has conceded to all the demands laid out by the reigning welterweight and junior middleweight champion.
Pacquiao has reportedly agreed to a 60-40 split on fight purse and will undergo random drug testing. Pacquiao's camp recently said that Mayweather should sign the fight deal if he wants to prove that he is the best fighter of all time.
But for Marquez, fighting Pacquiao will not make Mayweather the greatest of all time even if he finishes with an unblemished record. The 37-year-old currently holds a perfect 47-0 record with 26 knockout victories, but most fans are accusing him of ducking fighters who have a good chance of handing him the first defeat of his career.
"Mayweather is not going to be the best of all the time even if he accepts the fight against Manny Pacquiao," Marquez said. "There are other big fighters like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, that have demonstrated the ability to attack and take risks. They were making use of the moment. They were not overly defensive."
