The fourth time may be the charm for Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
The two familiar foes will step into the ring against each other for a fourth time Dec. 8 in a culmination of what has been one of boxing’s most prevalent rivalries of the past decade.
After their first fight in 2004 ended in a draw, Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOs) won the last two bouts (2008, 2011) on split and majority decision, respectively.
“I want to make this fight different from the last three fights that we had,“ Pacquiao said. “I want a win that’s not controversial and one that’s not as close as the last three fights.”
The Pacquiao-Marquez fight will be only the 13th time in boxing history that opponents have faced one another four or more times. While neither has been able to score a knockout against the other, both fighters will be changing their approach entering their fourth bout.
“We’ve had three cracks at this guy before and the strategies for the fight have been very similar so now we’re going to throw them out the window and start from scratch,” Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach said.
Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) knows that he needs to switch up his game plan against Pacquiao as well.
“I need to talk with [trainer Ignacio Beristain], we need to change something,” Marquez said. “I don’t know what, but we need to change something.”
Pacquiao and Roach have not only scrapped their previous game plan, but have also changed training venues. Pacquiao is shifting his training program from a split between his native Philippines and California to a set location, Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Gym in California, something the fighter calls “a huge difference.”
“I think the flight, the jet lag and the high altitude training was not great for Manny,” Roach said. “If you’re not fighting at high altitude but you’re training at a high altitude, your body has to adjust, it goes both ways. The adjustment coming down is a lot less severe, but it is there. The training is much more contained when we’re training in California.”
Pacquiao and Marquez will be fighting at a heavier weight class (147 pounds) than any of their previous three matches. Pacquiao, regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, could be at an advantage fighting in the higher class after facing Marquez at a catch weight of 144 pounds in 2011.
“[Pacquiao’s] best fighting weight going into the ring is 147 and that’s what we’ll be on fight night,” Roach said. “We should be at our best at this fighting weight.”
Marquez’s mindset heading into the fight will be to avoid the relentless and powerful Pacquiao, who said he is looking to make this fight “as short as possible.”
“The most important thing for this fight is that Manny Pacquiao doesn’t hit me,” Marquez said. “Manny has power. I’m going to look to do my job in the ring and use my experience and use everything. This fight is the most important fight of my career.”
Following a controversial decision in May’s loss to Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao is looking to recapture the hunger and aggression he first boxed Marquez.
“I need to be more aggressive this time,” Pacquiao said. “The aggression that I had before, when I was 25, 26 years old, I need that aggressiveness back in this fight. That’s what I’m looking for.”
The 33-year-old Filipino Congressman knows how he can put an end to this rivalry once and for all.
“Manny told me for the first time ever that we need a knockout,” Roach said. “Hearing him say that really means a lot to me because he’s never said that in the past 12 years. Manny’s been much more aggressive in this training camp than in the last.”
asulla-heffinger@nypost.com