Manny Pacquiao: Pac-Man's Ego Only Winner in Rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez

I hate it when there's nothing but repeats on television, don't you?

Sure, there are some classics that we can watch time and time again, but after a while, even our favorites get old and tired, and we yearn for something new and exciting.

But a rerun is what lies in store for us when Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez meet in the center of the ring for the fourth time.

Yawn.

Many believe that the 39-year-old Marquez already has at least two victories over his 33-year-old arch-rival, but everyone knows that each of their three fights thus far have been incredibly close battles where victory laid with one or two rounds that could have been scored either way.

Both fighters know each other very well, and each of their previous three fights have gone the distance.

That won't change, and neither will their respective styles—Marquez will negate Pac-Man's pushes with smart counter-punching, and his offensive attacks will be limited by trying to keep Pacquiao's offensive surges in check.

It'll come down to the scorecards, and unlike the debacle Pacquiao faced with Timothy Bradley on June 9, it's a foregone conclusion that the eight-division champion will be the one to have his hand raised at the end of the night.

Fans don't want to see this fight, and the media simply doesn't care. When was the last time you saw this much non-hype surrounding a fight that involves one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time?

This is about Pacquiao's ego needing a boost after being robbed against Bradley. Pac-Man knows that Marquez, nearly 40 years old, doesn't pose a major threat to him.

Apparently that's what he was looking for—something familiar where the end result is all but predetermined—rather than a bout that would re-energize his fans and help the sport.

We all want to see Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. go toe to toe, but that wasn't going to happen before the end of the year.


We are thinking the same thing Manny—what gives?

However, a rematch against Bradley, where he could have regained his WBO welterweight title or a rematch against Miguel Cotto, which would have set the boxing world ablaze, would have done more for his ego—and the sport—than beating Marquez for a third time could ever hope to do.

It's a shame that Team Pacquiao couldn't figure that out on their own.