By Chris Williams: Of all the people who you’d think would be complaining about being in the position of being on the losing end of a questionable decision the last person you’d think would be Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao has had the judge’s side with him for two controversial decisions over Marquez in the past along with a controversial draw, yet Roach thinks Pacquiao is in the position tonight where he absolutely will need a knockout in order to win if the fights even slightly close.

Roach said to the Boston Herald “I’ve told Manny we need a knockout this time. I understand human nature. He’s not going to get the decision if it’s another close fight.”

This is what you call making an excuse ahead of time so that boxing fans don’t direct the blame at Pacquiao and Roach if Marquez wins the fight by a decision. By saying that the judges are basically going to give the fight to Marquez if it’s close, Roach is essentially trying to cushion the blow of the criticism that will follow a points decision loss for his fighter Pacquiao tonight.

I think it’s sad because by saying that Roach is giving Marquez no credit for what he will have done in the ring by beating Pacquiao. Just saying that the judges are going to flat out give Marquez the decision if its close is saying that Marquez only has to fight hard enough to make it close, and the judges will automatically fall in behind him to give the decision. I think that’s bad when you have a trainer talking like that, and it’s almost as bad as questioning whether a fighter is using performance drugs without any proof.

If Marquez wins this fight tonight by a close decision, it won’t be because the judges feel like they owe him after the last three fights where a lot of boxing fans felt Marquez should have won. The judges will be giving him the win because they felt he was the better man, and not because of some kind of game where they’re correcting the wrongs of the past. That’s silly.