Marquez seeks vindication from third fight with Pacquiao (Reuters)

(Reuters) – Vindication is the buzzword for Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez as he prepares for the concluding chapter in his trilogy of bouts with Manny Pacquiao next week.

On November 12, the two fighters will step into the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where Pacquiao's WBO welterweight title will be on the line, along with final bragging rights from their encounters.

The boxers have met twice before, fighting to a draw in May 2004 before Marquez lost his WBC super-featherweight title to the Filipino in a controversial split decision in March 2008. On both occasions, though, Marquez felt he had triumphed.

"Now it's time to shed doubt over who the best fighter is," Marquez said on a conference call Wednesday while wrapping up his training camp in Mexico. "I want to win this fight because I believe I won the first two fights.

"We are not the only ones saying that we won those first two fights. A lot of people out there, a lot of fans and a lot of the media, agree. So we will be ready and prepared."

Marquez gave southpaw Pacquiao extra motivation for the fight by wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend: "We Were Robbed" when their November 12 showdown was promoted recently in the Philippines.

While Pacquiao claims he was insulted by that fashion statement, Marquez believes he has just as much incentive for their third and final meeting.

"It is personal for me too," said the 38-year-old Mexican, who has a career record of 53-5-1 with 39 knockouts said. "If he is upset about me saying that I won the first two fights, I am upset that I haven't got the decisions.

"I am just as motivated as he is. We all have our opinions. That's his opinion and my opinion is that I didn't get the decisions that I deserved. I think this fight is going to be great because we both want it so bad."

Marquez, a three-division world champion, is in the twilight of his glittering career and will go into next week's bout as a 9-1 underdog against one of the best offensive fighters of all time.

ODDS MEANINGLESS FOR MARQUEZ

"(Odds) don't do anything for me," said the Mexican, who recovered from three knockdowns in the opening round to earn a draw when they first clashed in May 2004.

"People can bet what they want, people can put the odds how they want them. If they like the 9-1 odds, that's fine with me. It has nothing to do with the fight.

"I am just going in with the mentality that I have to win the rounds. If the opportunity comes, if I hurt him, then I will go for the knockout. I am not going to hesitate if the opportunity is there to go for it."

Pacquiao, who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, has become a far superior fighter to the somewhat raw, all-action Filipino who faced Marquez in 2004 and 2008.

"Pacquiao has definitely become a better technical fighter than he was," said Marquez's trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain. "He has become a more complete boxer.

"His punches are now more clinical, he is not as wild as he used to be. He looks like he knows what he is doing and that's directly the effect that Freddie Roach, his trainer, has had. He has learned a lot of techniques and a lot of new things and he is doing them better, especially the right hook."

Beristain knows Marquez can no longer simply focus on the Filipino's lethal left hand.

"When we fought the first couple of times, his (Pacquiao's) left hand was always the big one, the one we had to worry about, the one that we tried to nullify," Beristain said.

"We see that he has a better right hand now. I think you just go up into the ring with the mentality that you must be ready for both, stay focused on what you need to do.

"We have always won the 'comeback zone', as I like to call it. It's important that we do it again but we know it's not going to be easy. We have to be smart enough to know how to do it and when to do it. That's what Juan is capable of doing."

(Editing by Julian Linden)

Penn, fight Fitch to draw on UFC 127 (AP)

SYDNEY-BJ Penn and Jon Fitch fought a draw of majority Sunday to cfu 127, second major of the UFC Show in Australia.

Michael Bisping arrested English Middleweight Jorge Rivera at the beginning of the second series event with a whirlwind brutal punches, intimidated co-main subsequently his opponent pinned Acer Arena.

The former champion of the division of the two Penn (16-7-2) spent most of the fight fighting near the cage with Fitch, who has only lost once in the past seven years. Fitch (26-3-1) is specialized in grinding of the victories, and he posted a third round dominant after injured Penn Fitch the nose in the second round.

Two judges scored the bout as a tie, a third favourite of Fitch 29-28. The two fighters say they open for a revenge.

"I came back and ready to go out on top," said Fitch. "I think I have enough at least to win a split decision.". ... I was looking for him to be, counterbox and counterwrestle. It was a great game plan, and he threw me. It was not until the second round to go together. »

Veterans spend most of the first two rounds nearly on the struggle of the Octagon, but Penn appeared to get the best out of most of the exchanges. Penn that also Fitch bloody nose with an elbow in the second round.

Fitch took Penn on the Web within seconds of the opening of the third, and then spent every round punches Regents in the custody of the Penn. Calls the monotonous action huées of the crowd, but the grinding victories are the specialty of Fitch, based in San Jose.

Penn is a world weight welterweight back after losing his lightweight title to Frankie Edgar last year. Penn recognized with visible frustration on his face that he expected to lose a decision.

"I believe that I have some a dominant position in the first and the second, but he struck my ass in the third," Penn said. "I think that I was not really what I was going to do with my career that I lost this luttemais given that the gods were nice to me and gave me a draw with the fate, if he wants to do again"I think we do it again. »

The bolt was unsatisfactory that the second draw in a major event of the UFC in less than two months, the following Edgar draw with Gray Maynard in a lightweight title on the day of new year's end.

Bisping (22-3) lost about his fight by disqualification in the first round after illegally kept give knee Rivera (18-8) in the face while his opponent on the canvas knelt.

Silver light German Dennis surprised the crowd of Sydney with a unanimous decision on George Sotiropoulos the Australia, which is unbeaten in eight UFC fighting.

UFC 127 took place Sunday afternoon in Sydney for a Saturday night of broadcast in North America. The map was the second sellout UFC in the arena, the current heavyweight Cain Velasquez champion victory in February last the UFC 110.

Bisping and Rivera landed in the days before their end, almost come beating on the roads to and refuse to touch their combat gloves. After Rivera twice in the opening minutes, shaken Bisping Rivera with a patently illegal knee with 2: 15 left in the round, Rivera directing to the Octagon.

Although Rivera have resumed in the fight, he fought to follow Bisping packaging and combinations.

While Rivera still on the canvas after the battle, Bisping has tried to confront him again, shouting, "Apologize!" for what felt disparaging Bisping about his father.

"I am a sensitive boy, so I apologize for losing control, perhaps," said Bisping. "I never said anything bad on it, but it came with all of these things."

SOTIROPOULOS had the home crowd firmly behind him, but Silver (18-7) hit him several times in the first round, in particular, he senseless dropping back with a left hook. SOTIROPOULOS (14-3) survived and came back strong in the second round, but money based in Mannheim has more damage in a convincing decision, General win 30-27, 30-28, and 29-28.

SOTIROPOULOS had not lost since October 2006, when he was disqualified for a strike at 5 seconds in a bolt in the promotion of Shooto. It is not to extend its series of new fighting in the UFC, which would have been the second longest streak in the history of the UFC.

"It was very strong," Sotiropoulos said. "He threw a few shots heavy has argued that, and I felt that their.". My plan was to continue to fight and take them down, but he defends well. His defence was really good, and the leg was a little slippery at the time, it was difficult to get a good grip on it. »

Earlier, Kyle Noke beat Chris Camozzi with a rear naked choke just 95 seconds in the first combat on the diffusion of television in the map of the Australia and Brian Ebersole won his UFC debut after more than 60 fighting previous prodisrupt Chris Lytle UFC veteran with a unanimous decision.