Heroes & Villains

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez fought twice and both bouts could have gone either way. Pacquiao-Marquez I in 2004, an epic match that saw Marquez hit the canvas three times in the first round but somehow survived, ended up in a draw. Pacquiao-Marquez II in 2008 was another close encounter, with Pacquiao barely winning a decision on the strength of one knockdown.

For the third time in seven years, Pacquiao and Marquez will go toe-to-toe to settle once and for all who is the better man. Pacquiao's offense against Marquez's defense. Pacquiao's left hand against Marquez's right hand. Freddie Roach against Nacho Beristain. Pacquiao and Marquez are so closely matched even their professional records are nearly identical. Should be another classic war Saturday night.

Pacquiao, 32, weighed in at 143 pounds during Friday's weigh-in, a pound under the 144-pound catch-weigh agreement, while Marquez, 38, tipped the scales at 142 pounds. Both men appear to be in phenomenal shape especially Marquez, who hired a new strength coach in Angel "Memo" Heredia to help him maintain his speed and power as he goes up in weight. Heredia has been linked to illegal distribution of performance-enhancing drugs, but he claims his work with Marquez is clean as a whistle. Roach and Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, say they are not concerned about Heredia's presence in Marquez's corner. We'll see how they feel about Heredia if the result tilts toward Marquez.

Roach predicts a sixth-round knockout for his fighter, which is somewhat surprising considering how the first two matchups concluded. But Roach believes Pacquiao's right hand is significantly better now and that could be the big difference.

The tale of the tape:
-- Age: Pacquiao 32; Marquez 38
-- Weight: Pacquiao 143; Marquez 142
-- Height: Pacquiao 5-6 1/2; Marquez 5-7
-- Reach: Pacquiao 67"; Margarito 67"
-- Stance: Pacquiao (southpaw); Marquez (orthodox)
-- Pro Record: Pacquiao 53-3-2, 38 KOs; Marquez 53-5-1, 39 KOs

The preliminary bouts at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will start at 6 p.m. PST. The live round-by-round coverage, with my scores for each round, will begin at approximately 8 p.m. PST. on this site: SportsFanLive.com/heroesvillains