Beristain: Marquez would be Mexico’s No. 1 with victory over Pacquiao
On Pacquiao’s side insisting on a rematch clause:
“You know, I feel the same way. If I was the company that promotes Manny Pacquiao, I would have done the same thing. I would have put two fights in there.
“I think that it’s just something that you have to do. The kind of fighter that Pacquiao is, he’s got the entire nation of the Philippines on his shoulders. He’s not going to give up anything easy.
“He’s going to come out here like a lion to try to win this fight because he’s got all of his people rooting for him and all of his people behind him.”
On whether or not Marquez should retire if he defeats Pacquiao:
“I’m very respectful of every fighter. I’ve had 23 world champions. I’ve never told any of them when to retire or when he was done. You know, that’s up to them and it’s their decision.
“But of course, you know, if he wins this fight, Marquez would be on top of the world. But it’s up to him what he decides to do.
“I don’t like to compare other fighters, because everyone has their own career. I don’t know how he compares to Julio Cesar Chavez, or Erik Morales or any other great champions.
“But if Juan Manuel Marquez wins this fight on Saturday night, then I believe that he will be sitting on top of the world, and that he will be the best Mexican fighter in the world right now.”
Photo by Stacey Verbeek
Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]