Pacquiao vs Marquez IV: Bob Arum says neither fighter trusts judges

In an interview with Chris Robinson of the Examiner, Bob Arum puts for a pretty decent case for why Pacquiao vs Marquez IV on December 8 might be the first fight between the great rivals to end inside the 12-round distance.

Simply put, Arum says neither fighter trusts the judges anymore:

"Understand what’s happened here, is the first three fights, Pacquiao won two and one was a draw. So, the one who was complaining about the officials was Marquez. Now, after the Bradley fight, when everybody, including Manny, saw himself winning it easily, and it goes the other way, now Manny is troubled about the officials. You have two fighters who don’t trust the judges and they’re going to take it in their own hands."

It's as good a case as any I've heard for why this fight won't go all the way to the end with another likely controversial outcome, with plenty of folks feeling someone was ripped off by the judges. If it's true that Manny now has the same worries that Marquez has held for years, maybe this thing rips off and the two aging superstars go bananas in there trying to get a conclusive finish.

It would be great if it happened. I don't know that I think it will -- for one thing, they've just never been able to do it before. It's not like the two of them threw pitty-pat punches for 36 rounds. They have torn into one another in every fight. Marquez could, in theory, turn up the intensity some, but that's not who he really is as a fighter, and I have a hard time believing he's going to drastically alter his approach at age 39, in his 19th year as a professional fighter.

Right now, I still expect another beautifully-fought, insanely competitive fight between these two. But if Arum's right, we could be in for something even more special than should be expected.