Months before his death, legendary trainer Angelo Dundee predicted Juan Manuel Marquez would finally defeat Manny Pacquiao — a short time before the knockout that changed boxing forever.
Dundee, one of the sharpest minds the sport has ever produced, made the prediction in 2011 while discussing Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and the growing tension surrounding both rivalries.
The Hall of Fame trainer, who guided Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard through some of boxing’s greatest nights, spotted something many others either ignored or underestimated at the time.
“Marquez will give Pacquiao a tough fight every day that they’re alive,” Dundee said in a Ring interview with Lem Satterfield.
“Probably Pacquiao’s toughest fight, because Marquez is a guy who knows how to fight him.
“Decision split — Marquez.”
Pacquiao was still one of the sport’s most destructive forces and entered the fourth Marquez fight as a heavy favorite despite years of razor-thin controversy between the pair.
However, Dundee understood something that eventually became impossible to deny.
Marquez never stopped believing he could beat Pacquiao.
Angelo Dundee prediction
Before the knockout that defined their rivalry forever, Marquez spent years chasing a decisive victory over Pacquiao.
Their first fight ended in a draw. Pacquiao then escaped with two narrow victories in contests many fans still debate today.
Marquez refused to let the rivalry die unfinished and became obsessed with proving he could conclusively defeat Pacquiao once and for all.
In 2012, he finally got the ending he wanted.
The right hand that left Pacquiao unconscious face-first on the canvas instantly became one of the most replayed knockouts in boxing history.
Marquez later admitted he feared he had seriously injured Pacquiao after watching his rival remain motionless following the knockout.
“When I reacted to Pacquiao, he still looked knocked out,” Marquez recalled years later.
“When I saw that he reacted and was coming back to life, I was happy.”
For many fans, the knockout permanently altered how Pacquiao’s career was viewed.
World Boxing News previously explored how the controversial Timothy Bradley defeat earlier that year may have pushed Pacquiao toward the fourth Marquez fight carrying more pressure and urgency than ever before.
That desperation may have created the exact opening Marquez needed.
Dundee somehow saw the danger before almost anybody else.
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather
Dundee’s insight into Pacquiao did not stop there.
While discussing a potential fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Dundee also backed Mayweather to win while wondering what was taking the fight so long.
Little did Dundee know it would take another three years to get them both inside the ropes.
“Mayweather wins,” Dundee stated.
“I just don’t know why Mayweather’s not fighting him.
“He walks around saying he’s the best fighter in the world? Well, fight the sucker. I think he beats Pacquiao.”
History eventually proved Dundee right there too.
Mayweather defeated Pacquiao by unanimous decision in 2015 before retiring unbeaten.
Now, over a decade later, Pacquiao is preparing for one final attempt to rewrite that rivalry when the two meet again in their Netflix-backed rematch later this year.
Ironically, Pacquiao himself recently admitted he wants to hand Mayweather the kind of definitive ending Marquez once gave him.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” Pacquiao said earlier this year.
Pacquiao is now chasing the exact kind of ending Marquez once took from him.
Punch heard around the world
Dundee was a boxing legend. It was a privilege to still have him around the sport as World Boxing News entered boxing in 2010.
Sadly, boxing lost Angelo in 2012 only weeks after he predicted Marquez would finally conquer Pacquiao.
Ali’s former coach was one of the few who foresaw the Mexican’s greatest triumph before the thunderbolt finally landed.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
