Marquez learns from Floyd loss

MANILA, Philippines - If there’s one thing Juan Manuel Marquez has learned in his last loss as a pro boxer, it’s the need to be more prepared when going up in weight.

Marquez, a natural 135-pounder, found it the hard way in 2009 when he put on additional pounds to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight was set at a catch weight of 146 pounds.

In that fight, a visibly sluggish Marquez was decked by Mayweather in the second round and was wiped out for the rest of bout to lose by unanimous decision.

Marquez and his team then conceded that the fighter could not handle the excess weight.

“The fight with Mayweather was a (learning) experience for me,” Marquez told boxingscene.com’s Jhonny Gonzalez the other day.

The Mexican is booked to face Manny Pacquiao for the third time this November.

This time, Marquez pushed for the fight to be held at a catch weight of 144 pounds.

Pacquiao, who currently campaigns in the welterweight division (147 pounds), agreed to his rival’s demand.

Now, Marquez insists he knows what to do.

“This time I’ll go up in weight and I’ll be very strong, fast, and this time I shouldn’t notice the difference,” he said.

The WBA and WBO lightweight champion added that he’s turning to science to make sure his body can take the additional weight.

“I’m going to see specialized doctors to work on that,” Marquez said.

Pacquiao and Marquez have figured in two close bouts – the first one ending in a controversial draw in 2004 and the other ending up in a split-decision for the Filipino in 2008.

Marquez is scheduled to face Likar Ramos in an interim fight on July 16 in Mexico.

Meanwhile, WBO female super bantamweight Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton returns to the ring today as she faces Angel Gladney in a non-title bout at the Dade County Auditorium in Miami, Florida.

The Fil-Am Julaton tipped the scales at 127.5 pounds – half a pound under the contracted weight limit of 128 pounds – during yesterday’s official weigh in.

“Gladney’s a strong fighter and will be going for the win, so we expect a lot of heat over here,” said Julaton, whose current record is 8-2-1, with one knockout.

Julaton is currently trained by Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach.

Gladney (6-3-1 with 5 knockouts) is coming off three straight losses.

The fight is scheduled for eight rounds.

Dino Maragay, Philippine Star