By Babatis Banda: We all know that Pacquiao has had a number of performances that have been below par in the recent past. While he had set the bar very high in the fights against Delahoya, Hatton, and Cotto, Pacquiao needs to show that he is a level above Marquez by winning in a clear fashion on December 8. While I don’t have problems with the win he had against Marquez the last time, this time around Pacquiao should show he is the more superior fighter of the two by either dispatching Marquez before the last round or by clearly dominating him.

Looking at Pacquiao, his system of fighting is not as floored as many have portrayed it. Pacquiao is a thriller to watch, especially when his killer instinct is on. Pacquiao has speed, power and endurance. Since Pacquiao is basically an offensive fighter, it means that his defence will be a little compromised, but remember, Pacquiao has a good head and foot movement too. The little defence that Pacquiao lacks, he makes it up by his ability to take and absorb punishment.

My strongest belief is that, if there is a fighter that will convincingly defeat Pacquiao, even at this stage of his career, it will not be Marquez. Say what you will, Marquez hasn’t shown that he is confident of winning against Pacquiao. From the look of things, Marquez is driven by hope, more than belief and you can literally see this in his body language.

If there is somebody who can convincingly win against Pacquiao at this moment, it can only be Mayweather junior. Even for the talented Mayweather, he may have a very rough time depending on how he approaches the fight. If Mayweather choses to mix it up, the way he did with Cotto, it would be a very long night. Mayweather would have to be in his best condition, and do what he knows best, and that is to box.

This time around, Pacquiao has yet another opportunity to redeem himself against Marquez and against his critics and I am quite sure, he will.