By Eric Thomas: Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) came in one pound under the limit during Friday’s weigh-in for his huge mega fight against his old nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) on Saturday night on HBO pay per view at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The weights: Pacquiao 147 – Marquez 143.

This is supposed to be a new beginning for Pacquiao because he’s going back to his old style of fighting in the past. He and his trainer Freddie Roach thinks Pacquiao needs to be more aggressive in order for him to become the old Manny Pacquiao from years ago. Perhaps they’re both worried about the dry spell Pacquiao has had of failing to knock anyone out for the past three years.

It’s not just the knockouts that have stopped, Pacquiao also isn’t throwing as many punches, he’s not moving around as much, and he’s looking progressively more and more tired with each and every fight he has. Pacquiao is still only 34, but he’s fighting like someone 10 years older than that. The excuses are already there: Pacquiao had family problems, and his conditioning program isn’t what it once was. Believable? It seems like excuses from a fighter that is starting to age.

The undercard of the fight will have IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez facing Mercito Gesta as the co-main event. This is going to be an appealing match-up if only because of the size differences. Gesta is short at 5’6″ with short arms, wheres Vazquez is much taller at 5’10” with really long arms and a defense that is almost impossible to figure out.

Gesta hasn’t looked very good during his career, and some boxing fans see him as an ESPN type fighter that only got the opportunity for this fight because he fights for Top Rank. Whatever the case, it should be interesting and hopefully the judges get the score right and don’t choose the loser of the fight as the winner.

Undercard weights:

Yuriorkis Gamboa 130 – Michael Farenas 130
Miguel Vazquez 135 – Mercito Gesta 134
Javier Fortuna 126 – Patrick Hyland 126
Dodie Boy Penalosa 123.5 – Jesus Lule Raya 124
Ernie Sanchez 127 – Coy Evans 126.5
Jose Ramirez 137 – Corey Seigwarth 136
Jazzma Hogue 121 – Alexis Hernandez 121