LAS VEGAS — Juan Manuel Marquez had fought two close matches with Manny Pacquiao, but for seven years he’s lived in his shadow as Pacquiao ascended to stardom and wealth. Marquez stepped out from that oversized shadow by pounding Pacquiao over the course of 12 rounds on Saturday night, but was denied a victory when he was robbed of a decision by judges who were either blind or corrupt.
In the end, Pacquiao (54-3-2 38 KOs) was awarded an undeserved 12-round majority decision to retain his WBO welterweight title. Judge Glen Trowbridge scored it 116-112 and judge Dave Moretti scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao, while judge Robert Hoyle scored it even at 114-114.
“This is the second robbery of the two fights we’ve had. This one was even more clear than the first,” Marquez said.
The Daily News scored it 116-112 for Marquez.
“It was clear to me. It was close, but I won,” Pacquiao said. “Yes, I want to give him a rematch.”
It was one of the worst decisions in a big fight in recent memory and it drew the ire of the mostly Mexican crowd at the MGM Grand, which came to support Marquez (52-6-1, 39 KOs). The fans began booing and throwing things at the ring while Pacquiao was being interviewed by HBO.
“They’re Marquez fans and I don’t blame them. I blocked a lot of his punches,” Pacquiao said.
The match began with the singing of three national anthems — the Philippines, Mexico and the U.S. — and a tribute to Joe Frazier, who died from liver cancer last week. But it wasn’t long before the pageantry and solemn remembrance gave way to a grudge match that was seven years and 24 brutal rounds in the making.
Both boxers started out cautiously, though they promised an aggressive, furious pace. Pacquiao was more measured and reserved and seemed content to allow Marquez to bring the fight to him.
Marquez landed two big body shots in the first round that seemed to get Pacquiao’s attention. Near the end of the fourth round, Marquez caught Pacquiao with a sharp right that twisted his head around. That gave Pacquiao something to think about as he headed back to his corner.
Midway through the fifth round, Marquez landed a straight right that snapped Pacquiao’s head back and then came with a three-punch combination that started with a left uppercut, was followed by a left hook to the chin and finished with a left to the jaw. Marquez was putting on a brilliant boxing performance and he seemed to have Pacquiao baffled and hesitantto mount his own offense .
There was some question as to whether the additional muscle that Marquez added to move up to welterweight to meet Pacquiao would slow him down. He answered it in the sixth round when he landed a double right hand on Pacquiao’s chin.
By the eighth round, Marquez had settled into an easy rhythm, landing combinations that climbed the ladder — starting with a left to the ribs and working his way up Pacquiao’s torso with rapid punches that finished on the Filipino’s chin.
Pacquiao finally figured that his best chance of winning the fight was to engage Marquez in a firefight. He unleashed his full arsenal of lefts and rights, thrown at ridiculous angles, at Marquez midway through the ninth. Marquez withstood the onslaught.
For one of the few times in his career, the mild-mannered Pacquiao had expressed anger about an opponent before entering the ring. He was upset with Marquez for coming to the Philippines wearing a T-shirt — and handing them out — declaring that Marquez had won the two previous meetings.
The first fight ended in a draw after Marquez survived three first-round knockdowns. Pacquiao won the second fight on a 12-round split decision, with one judge giving Marquez a narrow decision. It was enough to create enough doubt and intrigue to make a third fight marketable.
But a lot had changed since the two fighters last met in 2008. Pacquiao had blossomed into a full-fledged welterweight and risen to the status as the No. 1 pound-for-pound best in the sport.
He had also become a major box office attraction and one of the most bankable stars in the sport. Meanwhile, Marquez had been left in the dust. He had lost to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the biggest event of his career prior to the fight against Pacquiao on Saturday night. Marquez had weighed 142 pounds for that fight and Mayweather had mopped the ring up with him in a lopsided decision victory.
Marquez weighed in at 142 for the match Saturday night. But it was a different 142 pounds. This time he had enlisted the aid of Angel Hernandez as his strength and conditioning coach. Hernandez has a shady past, having testified as a government witness in the trial of track coach Trevor Graham that Hernandez had supplied EPO and insulin to track star Marion Jones at Graham’s request. Hernandez also admitted that he sold steroids to another track star, Tim Montgomery. Even though he was a steroids dealer, Hernandez never paid for his crimes because he became a government witness against other athletes that he sold drugs to.source nydailynews
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