Who is better?

THERE will always be a debate on who really won the past three encounters between rivals Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. All three bouts were too close to call, with both boxers claiming that they won the fight.

For Filipino superstar Nonito Donaire Jr., whoever scores a convincing win in their upcoming fourth fight on Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas should be considered as the winner of their epic series.

“I think whoever wins this convincingly, is most likely the better fighter overall, even though Manny has won the majority of it,” said Donaire Jr. in a report posted at Boxingscene.com.

Pacquiao has won two of his three fights against Marquez, while the other fight ended in a draw.

Despite some claiming that Pacquiao lost to Marquez in the third fight—a fight that the 33-year-old Filipino won by majority decision last year— Donaire Jr. still has his money on his compatriot.

“For me, I’m always going to go with somebody who has the advantage,” he said. “And I think Manny, who has speed and power, if he can push it, is going to win the fight. I think Manny can bring in his speed and be smart about it like he has in the beginning; just that sheer, raw talent that he has, that raw energy that he has, I think that he can overwhelm Marquez.”

Pacquiao and Marquez are very familiar with each other’s styles thus Donaire also believes that it should be another close affair.

“But again, Marquez already has his number,” he said. “Both fighters know each other well. It might look to be the same type of fight to me. Unless somebody has a different idea heading into this fight, I think it’s going to be a close fight.”