The Mexican dedicated a few words to the Filipino.

One of the great rivalries that has been seen in boxing was the one between Juan Manuel Marquez and Pacquiao and now that the Filipino announced his retirement, the Mexican dedicated a few words to him.
Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement from professional boxing, and Juan Manuel Marquez, one of his greatest rivals in the ring, did not hesitate to recognize the greatness of a fighter who “rarely appears in boxing” and who leaves as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

Against Marquez, Manny had a record of two wins, one draw and one loss. Their series was one of the most electrifying ever and always. Beyond the rivalry, there was always respect from both of them and their corners, headed by Freddie Roach and Nacho Beristáin.

“The retirement of a great fighter has arrived, a figure that rarely appears in boxing, a legend is leaving”, said Marquez “What I lived with him were four great fights, some controversial, but we ended the situation as it should have been. I faced a great fighter, one of the best in the history of boxing,” he stressed.

Two days before his fight against Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas last August, Manny recalled in a chat that he begged his promoter for a fifth fight against Marquez, but that the Mexican ultimately did not want to step back into the ring.

“I think Manny is one of the greatest things there has ever been in boxing, as a fighter and as a person,” Beristáin said.

“I want to confess to you that he didn’t let me sleep several times. Since he knocked out Barrera he impressed me. The only thing that gave me hope was that Juan Manuel was an expert in fighting southpaws, but he was a different kind of southpaw, he had a missile on his left”, he pointed out.

“Pacquiao is in the royalty… thinking of all the great fighters, he should be there, it really is historic what he did, and what he will continue to do, because he will surely be president of the Philippines,” Beristáin sentenced in a telephone chat from the Romanza gym, center of operations to try to counter the ‘Pacman’.

“For me, Manny Pacquiao in the first confrontation surprised me since I knew very little about him and after that victory against me, he continued to surprise me because of that tremendous career,” said three-time champion Marco Antonio Barrera. “Those big names he defeated, adding the titles he won in those big fights, I have always said that he was so great that I put him next to or below Muhammad Ali,” said the Iztacalco fighter.