It was not the battle to end all battles as one would expect between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez’s fight trilogy. Pacquiao seemed to have pulled his shots this time around compared to the many earlier fights where he usually brings on the brawl. Marquez’s game plan strategy was even better than that prepared by Pacquiao and his coach, Freddie Roach. Roach may have trained Pacquiao well in the physical department but then he failed to provide an alternative plan B in the tactical department, when their original plan against Marquez backfired. Marquez evidently had Pacquiao’s number so I’d probably fault Roach for the poor strategy plan he designed for Pacquiao. After two fights, one would expect to know your opponent’s strength and weaknesses by heart and add to that, prepare for any contingencies that your adversary may conjure to avoid any unpleasant surprises. (New developments said that Pacquiao admitted it was himself to blame for straying away from Roach’s original game plan.)
In the first three rounds I felt something was amiss already. Both fighters were very cautious and punches traded were somewhat light, as if one is expecting the other to start the ball rolling. Each fighter was waiting for an opportunity but little came. But many were more expectant of the prediction that Marquez will fall in the said first three rounds as predicted by Pacquiao’s camp and when this did not happen, it greatly disappointed the Pacquiao fans. Where’s the signature Pacquiao barrage of shots that’s reminiscent of his punching agility? Where’s the brawl, the trading of blows, the slugfest that one would expect from boxing gladiators? Where’s Pacquiao’s arsenal of devastating multi-combination punches that he frequently goes for and with wild abandon at the very least? For Marquez’s case, he tried in a decent attempt, to score as much as he could with stinging jabs and body punches but even then, counter punching is not a convincing factor to win the title from Pacquiao given that he’s the challenger. You have to be decisive and go for the kill. You have to convince the judges that you have rightfully earned and deserve it. So when the heat of the battle came towards the end, many wished that the fight shouldn’t have been over yet. The audience were left hanging. They wanted more rounds. They want a bruising bout. They wanted blood. They want someone to fall. They want what boxing is all about… war in the ring. Damn that ending bell.
Nope, this bout isn’t a war. It’s more of a sparring dance. Pacquiao seemed frustrated as Marquez kept his distance with his defence closed as a clam and tight as a drum that he gave Pacquiao no angle for an opening to an attack. Marquez was also smarter this time as he did well to study Pacquiao’s moves and anticipated his attacks. Marquez was succesful in keeping Pacquiao at bay and did what he did best which was counter punching. Marquez read Pacquiao well in so many ways than one that he was able to anticipate his attacks, maneuver out of the way, avert Pacquiao’s aggressions and instead deliver his own flurries to the consternation of Pacquiao. Marquez also used better footwork to back away from Pacquiao’s forward advances but then this backtracking appears to be a ploy for whenever Pacquiao inched closer, Marquez would unleash some surprising stinging punches to the head and body halting Pacquiao in his tracks and confusing him further. The early tirades and threat, that Pacquiao will make Marquez pay for being “disrespectful,” seemed more of a scare tactic than a reality at that point as Pacquiao probably felt the fulfillment of that threat was becoming more and more of a remote possibility by the way things were not going well for him going into the middle rounds.
Pacquiao knew he was in for a difficult fight and probably decided to wait it out, look for a late opportunity and hope Marquez gets careless or eventually tires himself out before Pacquiao can make his move similar to what Mayweather did to Marquez on their last bout. But as the fight progressed, Pacquiao was running out of time and Marquez seemed to become stronger and more determined. Pacquiao had to do something fast for Marquez was gaining a lot of ground and he knew Marquez will not give him the time of day, nor that opportunity to get back in the fight. In a way Pacquiao probably thought he could lose the fight and this notion may have disturbed him mentally and emotionally. Marquez must have smelled blood and he’s so close to winning he could taste it. In the end both went for it and slugged it out till the last ebbing second to gain as many precious points each one can muster. The timing of this slugfest was expected. This is a no-brainer. Both coaches will advise it as no one had a clear advantage, so it seems. There’s no hedging now, no turning back. If there’s a chance one fighter can knock out the other, this is it in the last round.
And so Pacquiao wins. Congratulations to Pacquiao. Surprised? Yes I want Pacquiao to win but am I pleased of the way he won? Well so-so. Half of the hometown Filipino boxing enthusiasts themselves couldn’t believe Marquez didn’t clinch the belt. Several spectators, it was mentioned, who were witnessing the live public coverage on several viewing venues, allegedly already left their seats even before the fight was over. “The Mexican won it.” Reactions heard from those individuals. Even sportscasters and other celebrities alike shared the same idea. The Nevada Boxing Commission had it otherwise. They chose the referee and the judges and they stand by their decision. This is a strange system that no one can question as this is an organization unique on its own. The compubox, or the computerized punch counter, indicated that Pacquiao won it otherwise with more punches thrown in his favor, if you can believe that. Marquez was so dismayed by this result that he probably has lost interest in a fourth rematch even as promoter Bob Arum tried to appease him with this consolation by probably dangling more megabucks ”dinero” to entice his appetite. Marquez is so disgusted with the events that in event he decides to throw in the towel and just retire, he will just have to bring to his grave the thought that in his belief he won this fight, but will never enjoy that distinction as he lives. On the other hand, Pacquiao and his camp are swearing and willing to bet that they definitely won the match based on the review of the recorded fight and by counting the number of punches that they claimed were more in their favor. Pacquiao can also rely on the fact that in the fight video replay, it showed that Marquez was suspected of playing dirty as he stepped on Pacquiao’s foot once too often as noticed by some observant fans and thereby branding Marquez as a cheat. (But Pacquiao also had his share of stepping on Marquez’s foot . Check it out on YouTube.) Roach belied this fact by saying this foot stepping thing is a normal occurrence for fighters of opposing stance, given that Pacquiao is a southpaw, Marquez is right-handed. It didn’t bother Pacquiao or the outcome anyway so Roach dismisses it as an insignificant matter.
Does Pacquiao have issues? Pacquiao didn’t really want to mix it up with Marquez in or out of the ring in the first place. He really wanted to avoid this fight as much as he could but had no choice because Flloyd Mayweather Jr. wouldn’t give in to one. Marquez is the only opponent who gave Pacquiao real headaches. Pundits say both Pacquiao and Marquez are almost evenly matched that these two are living antithesis of each other. But of the three meetings, this one seems to be the poorest performance yet of Pacquiao. But boxing pundits further observed that Pacquiao is too preoccupied with many issues that his state-of-mind was not fully focussed in the fight. He has his political role, his celebrity role and also a family role to handle that he has to balance them altogether. Off the beat, Pacquiao could be having emotional troubles with his wife and also with his conditioning trainer, Alex Arriza, witnesses said. This story appeared in a small sport column of a local newspaper and also was mentioned in TV news, stating that sometime before the fight, Pacquiao had a tiff with his wife and Arriza, that could have bothered Pacquiao’s emotional self during the fight. True or not, this could be a factor why Pacquiao seems to be aloof then.
Has Pacquiao lost the fire in his eyes? Has he grown old for boxing? Probably not but it may seem so. Pacquiao is so busy with his other roles that one wonders if he still has time to focus on boxing. Wherever he goes he is mobbed by fans that his training sessions are often interrupted by many distractions. Maybe because of this Pacquiao is not always 100% in shape, physically or mentally. Fans of Pacquiao have gotten used to seeing him perform with such a high level of performance that the bar was raised too high and that they expect no less than a spectacular result everytime he steps up into the ring. Maybe this time around Pacquiao was just not in a proper disposition or emotional state-of-mind so I’ll give him the benefit of a doubt. Or maybe the fans are just not used to seeing Pacquiao win by mere points. It’s so unusual for a man of his caliber to be just mediocre. If you analyze the match-up situation, Pacquiao has never lost to Marquez yet he never won it by a mile. It was first a draw, then a split decision and now a majority win but never a unanimous decision nor TKO for that matter. It’s always a close call, never a clear win.
So whatever it is that’s bothering Pacquiao, if ever he’s bothered at all, he now will have to ponder long and hard for his future if he still has that enthusiasm of a fiery, hungry boxer. If his future bouts end up with more of the same, eventually the praise and adulation will fade and when they’re all gone, what will become of him? Will it affect his popularity, his political career or his image as a boxing hero or champion? Maybe not at the moment. But being ultra rich is not such a bad fallback after all. Will Pacquiao just settle down and reminisce with his millions he tucked away in his banks or investments? I don’t think that is his style but let’s wait and see what next in store. More of Marquez or move on to Mayweather? Hey Flloyd Jr., you interested? Now’s your chance!
(Next blog: What strategy Pacquiao could have used to upstage Marquez or Mayweather?)
With due respect…, I still believe that the Pacman won that bout. Facewise, his face was relatively unscathed compared to the battered face and closed eyelid of Marquez. This result was due to the more hits landed by Manny over those of Marquez. Those “dirty foot” incidents were no accidents. Most of these happend a split second before Marquez launches his attacks…, placing Pacquiao at a disadvantage. The sudden weight increase of Marquez for such a short period should be investigated…, particularly in view of the questionable character of his health trainer. Finally, the decision of the judges is final. IF NOT…, who else can resolve this controversy.