Filipino star Manny Pacquiao will rely on his punching power and relentless energy in order to try and dethrone Juan Manuel Marquez in an expected 12-round battle of attrition here Saturday. Mexico's Marquez will defend his World Boxing Council super featherweight crown against the pride of the Philippines Pacquiao at Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. The four-year gap between their fights is an oddity in boxing these days where instant rematches have almost become the norm. And this could be Pacquiao's last fight at 130 pounds. He is expected to move up to the 135-pound weight class where he could face David Diaz next. The 29-year-old Pacquiao is in the prime of his career while 15-year-veteran Marquez is nearing the end of his. Pacquiao, of General Santos City, is his country's ultimate warrior and a much better fighter than when he first faced Marquez. “I think he is a 90 percent better fighter,” said trainer Freddie Roach. “He is smarter, more experienced and he sets things up with two hands now.” The bout, backed by Golden Boy promotions, is a rematch of a 2004 draw in which Pacquiao knocked Marquez to the canvas three times in the first round. One judge scored the fight for each boxer and the third had the matchup even. Marquez, 34, is 48-3 with one drawn and 35 knockouts while Pacquiao is 45-3 with two drawn and 35 knockouts. Marquez is 19-1-1 since 1999, the lone defeat a unanimous decision loss to Indonesian Chris John in March of 2006. Pacquiao is 19-1 with two drawn in the same span, losing only a unanimous decision to Mexican Erik Morales in 2005. Pacquiao has won six fights in a row, the most recent a 12-round decision over Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao will return to Las Vegas and the Mandalay Bay Events Center in late June for his next 135-pound (61-kg) fight against Diaz, promoter Bob Arum said. If Pacquiao stays on his winning roll, he will fight in Macau in the autumn - perhaps against new unified lightweight champion Nate Campbell, who holds the other three belts in a star-studded division after stunning Juan Diaz last week in Cancun. Pacquiao had long been expected to fight Diaz in June in the opulent 15,000-seat arena at the new Venetian casino in Macau. Filipino fans who revere Pacquiao as a national hero are expected to pour into nearby Macau for the fight, just his second in Asia since December 2004. But Pacquiao's fans are exactly the reason why Arum plans to make Pacquiao's next fight at Mandalay Bay - specifically the 2 million Filipinos living in California who liven up the Las Vegas scene on weekends when Pacquiao is in town. Diaz is fighting Ramon Montano on the undercard of Saturday's fight in a non
