Saturday, December 8, 2012

Pacquiao, Marquez rumbles tonight

LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will try to put to rest Saturday evening lingering doubt about who is the superior man in the ring.

The welterweights collide for a fourth time in a scheduled 12-round non-title fight at the MGM Grand Arena (HBO pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET). The card is promoted by Top Rank's Bob Arum.

A sellout crowd of more than 16,000 is expected to watch the fight mainly supporters from the Philippines and Mexico.

Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) has never lost to the Mexican counterpuncher. A draw and two slim decisions led to a fourth bout with Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs), considered the greatest fighter to emerge from his country since Julio Cesar Chavez.

Pacquiao knocked down Marquez three times in the first round of their initial battle in 2004.

The Nevada Athletic Commission also concedes to appoint two of the three judges from outside its jurisdiction to score the main event, because of Pacquiao's questionable lost to Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas last June.

Promoters 50 Cent and Snooki (Nicole Polizzi) will also be at the fight.

50 Cent, the renowned hip-hop star, represents Yuriorkis Gamboa, the undefeated featherweight (21-0, 16 KOs) from Miami. Gamboa will fight Michael Farenas (33-3-4, 25 KOs) of the Philippines.

Polizzi and her father, Andy Polizzi, operate Team Snooki Boxing. Their fighter, Irish featherweight Patrick Hyland (27-0, 12 KOs), will challenge unbeaten Javier Fortuna (20-0, 15 KOs) of the Dominican Republic.

USA today

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