Juan Manuel Marquez believes Manny Pacquiao will have to score a knockout if he wants to win against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their upcoming fight on May 2 at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marquez thinks Pacquiao has a chance to hand Mayweather the first loss of his career, but he is convinced that the Filipino boxing icon has no chance to win by decision against the reigning pound-for-pound king because the fight will be staged in Las Vegas.
"For Pacquiao to win, he must knock him out - because the judges in Las Vegas are always in favor of Mayweather," Marquez said in an interview with El Golpe a Golpe.
However, the Mexican boxing warrior warned that Pacquiao should be cautious in going for a knockout because Mayweather has the perfect style to beat the Filipino champion.
Marquez cited Mayweather's vaunted defense and effective- counter punches, which was the same tactic used by the Mexican during his four fights with Pacquiao.
The 41-year-old Marquez faced Pacquiao four times earlier in his career. The first one ended in a draw, while the next two fights ended with Pacquiao winning by questionable decisions.
Marquez then finally won against his nemesis, and it was in a convincing manner, knocking Pacquiao out cold in the sixth round of their fourth showdown in December 2012.
Marquez is also familiar with the fighting style of Mayweather, having faced the Grand Rapids native in 2009, where the unbeaten champion ran away with a lopsided decision win.
"Normally when Pacquiao is aggressive, he throws without looking out for the counter, and in this respect he must change because Mayweather is a great counter-puncher and knows precisely what hurts Pacquiao," Marquez said. "What hurts Pacquiao will be the counters and the defense of Mayweather."
While he thinks Mayweather is poised to win in the upcoming super fight, Marquez said that he will not write Pacquiao off because the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion is a dangerous opponent for Mayweather.
According to Marquez, Mayweather has not faced an opponent like Pacquiao, who has the speed and aggression combined with a vaunted punching power that could put the undefeated welterweight and junior middleweight into trouble in their long-awaited super fight.
