Fighters have score to settle

It wasn't intended to be a game of one-upsmanship, but that's what Wednesday's news conference for Saturday night's world super featherweight title fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao turned out to be.

Both boxers claimed to have trained harder for the rematch of their controversial 2004 fight, which ended in a draw. Both said they are in superb condition. Both insisted they are better fighters than the last time they met. And naturally, each fighter claimed he will win the 12-round bout at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

The 34-year-old Marquez (47-3-1, 34 knockouts), whose WBC title will be on the line, brought the belt with him to the House of Blues Foundation Room on Wednesday. He said he plans to hang onto it.

"He (Pacquiao) talks about how hard he has trained for this fight," Marquez said. "Maybe he's afraid for this fight."

The 29-year-old Pacquiao (45-3-2, 35 KOs), who gave up playing basketball for this fight the way someone might reluctantly give up Frappuccinos at Starbucks for Lent, said Marquez's ability to get up off the canvas after being knocked down three times in their first meeting got his attention.

"I am much more serious for this fight," said Pacquiao, a self-admitted basketball junkie who usually plays during training. "When he came out for the second round, I couldn't believe it. I underestimated him.

"That's why I trained so hard this time. I won't underestimate him again."

Pacquiao is a minus-230 favorite for Saturday's rematch. Marquez said he could not care less.

"I can be 10-to-1" underdog, he said. "Once we get in the ring, it's just the two of us. The odds don't matter to me."

Marquez said that sometimes people forget that he, not Pacquiao, is the titleholder. But if those same people want to disrespect him, all it does is motivate him more, Marquez said.

"I won that fight in 2004, and they gave me a draw," he said. "I want to prove I'm the best fighter."

The controversy surrounded the scoring by judge Burt Clements, who didn't realize he could score the fight lower than the 10-7 he judged the first round. Guy Jutras and John Stewart both gave Pacquiao 10-6 scores. Had Clements, who scored the fight 113-113, done the same, Pacquiao would have won a split decision.

But Clements gave Pacquiao the fourth round 10-9, and the other two had Marquez winning 10-9. If he had gone along with his colleagues and given Marquez the fourth, Clements would have had Marquez winning, and he would have taken a split decision.

Jutras had Marquez winning 115-110, and Stewart scored it 115-110 for Pacquiao. Marquez promised the judging won't be an issue Saturday.

"There will not be another draw this time," he said.

• NOTES -- Only a few tickets remain, and plans are to offer the fight on closed circuit at Mandalay Bay. Details are expected to be released today. ... Top Rank president Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, said he thinks the fight will generate about 350,000 in pay-per-view buys on HBO. ... Friday's 2:30 p.m. weigh-in will be available for viewing on the Internet at HBO.com.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.