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After 3 blockbuster fights, 36
rounds and 108 minutes of pound-for-pound boxing, the debate on who is the
better fighter between Pacquiao and Marquez remains to be unseen.
Enter the fourth part of the
Pacquiao-Marquez saga.
Manny Pacquiao will face Juan
Manuel Marquez on December 8, 2012(December 9, Manila Time) at MGM Grand Arena
in Las Vegas. The two fighters continue their colorful rivalry that has been
considered as one of the longest and fiercest this decade.
All three previous fights have
been intriguing and controversial. In their first fight dating back last May of
2004, the fight was ruled a draw despite the fact Pacquiao knocked down Marquez
thrice in the first round and winning majority of the rounds. To add fuel to
the fire, judge Burt Clemens later admitted that he scored the knockdown
incorrectly and that Pacquiao should have won that fight.
4 years later, their second
fight was more intriguing. Pacquiao won the fight via split decision. Pacquiao
floored Marquez once on the third round and it was all it takes to give Pacman
the win. Despite the fact that numbers favor Marquez when it comes to
percentage of punches landed and thrown, analysts said that Pacquiao still won
the fight. It was also this night that Pacquiao has shrugged off the idea of
another Pacquiao-Marquez rematch.
Lastly, their third fight was
the most intriguing. Pacquiao won via majority decision that led to negative
reactions and speculations from boxing analysts all over the world. Even our
own boxing experts, Ronnie Nathanielsz and Ed Tolentino shared the same
opinions, as they thought Pacquiao should have lost the fight and that Marquez
was robbed off of his victory.
Pacquiao will always be
remembered as one of the best, if not the best pound-for-pound boxer of all
time. He is currently a 7-time champion, was named fighter-of-the-decade and
has been ranked as one of the greatest boxers ever existed along with the most
arrogant, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao has the power, speed
and stamina. He is also a smart boxer and chooses his punches carefully. Speed
has been his greatest arsenal coupled with a terrific footwork and perfect
timing for counterpunches that made him very dangerous. He is very patient on
the offensive end and has a high tolerance of pain that also makes him hard to
knock out. His left hook still remains to be his knockout punch and he still
has enough power to put anyone to sleep at any given ring.
But
the question remains: how long will Pacquiao be able to do it?
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Pacquiao is now at the tail end of his career. He’s 34
years old and has repeatedly said that this will be his last 2 fights before he
hangs his gloves and retire. We’ve seen his performance dipped. His power and
speed might still be there but we all know there’s a decline in those two
categories. He was not the same fighter that he once was, knocking down anybody
on short notice (Hello, Ricky Hatton) and was always predicted to win the fight
via knockout in 6 rounds or less. In his last 5 fights, he was not able to
knock down his opponents. It’s either winning by unanimous or majority
decision. His weakness has somewhat been exposed. Opponents play full defense
on him, meaning backing up and refusing to engage with Pacquiao on a jab-for-
jab, free-for-all boxing thus eliminating his chances of a knockdown just like
what Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley and Timothy Bradley did.
Juan Manuel Marquez, meanwhile,
was described as one of the best Mexican boxers of all time, joining him in the
ranks of Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Chavez, Erik Morales and the golden boy
himself, Oscar Dela Hoya. Nicknamed as “Dinamita”, it’s safe to say that he is
considered as one the best counter punchers of the game. His career started in
the featherweight division and has been circling around super featherweight,
welterweight and lightweight division. In 2009, he climbed to the welterweight
division to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. He eventually lost that fight but came
back strong by winning his next 3 fights against Juan Diaz, Michael Katsidis
and Likar Ramos, 2 via knockout before losing to Pacquiao on their third bout
last year.
Facing Pacquiao for the fourth
time might just do the trick. It’s evident that Marquez is desperate to fight
and beat Pacquiao. Who wouldn’t after coming up short thrice, and to make the
matter even scintillating is that Pacquiao has yet to hit the floor in 36
rounds of their fights. The mere fact that Marquez is a counter puncher while
Pacquiao is more of an attacker shows that these two fighters has contrasting
styles which makes us wonder who has the bigger advantage. It’s like an X’s to
the O’s, a superman to kryptonite and a fire to an ice combination. What
Pacquiao loves to do, Marquez can neutralize it. This has been going on for the
past 3 fights so it’s interesting on what these two fighters have in store for
us.
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We’ve witnessed their bouts and
it’s pretty clear to say that when these two fighters first met, we had no idea
that this fight could go this far. In 2004, we’ve seen two aggressive fighters
going at each other, punching like their own careers are on the line in just
one fight. 8 years later, here they are again but this time closing on a their
respective chapters of their careers. In their fourth and possibly the last
battle, let us just hope that this fight is as good as the first three. There
were no guarantees given despite the fact that age has caught up with them.
Pacquiao is 34 and Marquez is 39 and their aggressive trading punches might not
be as good compared to their previous fights.
Given the odds, there’s a big
chance that this fight would go the distance again. 12 rounds of rough house
beating between these two famed fighters. It is also worth seeing how Pacquiao
bounces back from a loss. This is the perfect time for Marquez to finally get
the monkey off his back and get the first and probably the last win against
Pacquiao. Lastly, this is the perfect scenario for Pacquiao to prove to
everyone that he’s not done yet.
Regardless of what will happen
in this fight, these two fighters have given us a wonderful show in their
previous bouts and it’s just fitting that these two deserves to have a colorful
ending. This is their legacy towards the finish line of their successful
careers.
Come December 8, we’ll get
another taste of what Pacquiao-Marquez hype is all about.
But as early as now, I can’t
wait for Michael Buffer to say the words “Let’s get ready to rumble!” because
I’m dead ready for this fight.
