By Chris Williams: HBO analyst Larry Merchant thinks that 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) may need to take more risks this time around if he wants to make sure that he doesn’t end up on the short end of the stick in his upcoming fourth fight against 33-year-old Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) on December 8th at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Merchant told Thaboxingvoice.com “I don’t know whether he’s inclined to want to take the risk…should Marquez want to change his fortunes and not feel like he will get robbed, I think he needs to be more explosive and take those risks.”

Yes, I guess it’s not enough that Marquez has the superior ring generalship, is landing the cleaner shots, and is clearly out-boxing Pacquiao. Marquez has to turn into a brawler in order to get a decision over Pacquiao. It’s not enough that he’s picking off Pacquiao’s shots, making him miss and countering him each time he throws anything at all.

Marquez has to turn into a brawler. In other words, Marquez has to beat Pacquiao at his own game in order to get a decision. I’m sorry but I don’t agree with that at all, but that shows you how badly boxing needs to get better judges that know what to look for in a fight when judging fights. If they’re just looking for the fighter that fights in an all out manner, getting tagged left and right, missing shots and looking primitive, then that’s taking the sport backwards into the early more primitive stages of boxing instead of forward where it should be.

Marquez shouldn’t have to be another Pacquiao just to get a decision over him when he’s badly schooling him in every exchange in every fight. It should be enough that Marquez is boxing circles around the Filipino and making him look like an unschooled amateur in the ring.