By John F. McKenna (McJack): Those close to eight division champion Manny Pacquiao (54-4, 38 KO’s) are convinced that the gifted fighter of old will return to form when he clashes for the 4th time with WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s). Pacquiao and Marquez will do battle on December 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The Filipino icon has demonstrated by his intensity during his preparation for his match with Marquez that he is clearly taking this fight far more seriously than he did the Trilogy fight. Clearly his trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza thought that Manny’s 3rd fight with “Dinamita” was in the bag, so to speak. Both had predicted that the “Pacman” would score an easy win.

The reasoning was before the Trilogy fight that Manny was not the same fighter who had faced Marquez in their prior fight. He had grown into a bigger fighter and no longer relied on only his left hand. Pacquiao had become a two fisted fighter the story went. He was a fighter that even Floyd Mayweather Jr. seemed to be avoiding.

Unfortunately for the Pacquiao camp things did not go exactly as Roach and Ariza had planned. Marquez too hired a conditioning coach and as things turned out he made a lot of people who had predicted an easy win for Manny eat their words. Most boxing fans thought that Marquez had won the fight.

Going into the 4th fight it was clear that something new would be needed by Pacquiao. Just as in an arms race, for every strategy Pacquiao had come up with thus far, Marquez had developed a counter measure to defeat it. Even Pacquiao’s most ardent supporters have had to acknowledge that Marquez has the Kriptonite to defeat the Superman that is Manny Pacquiao.

Roach and his brain trust are in the unenviable position of attempting to overwhelm the defense of “Dinamita”. Apparently Roach has come up with the solution. It is not at all complicated. Apparently Roach believes that if Manny increases his work rate Marquez will have so many missiles raining in on him that he will not be able to stop them all. Being able to sustain the higher work rate for twelve rounds is also part of Roach’s strategy.

Marquez undoubtedly anticipates the strategy the Pacquiao camp will use in an effort to defeat him. It will be interesting to see the counter measures Marquez and his trainer Nacho Beristain come up with.