LAS VEGAS ? Newly crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao has admitted that the Juan Manuel Marquez he fought four years ago is not the same person he challenged and beat by split decision March 15 for the WBC jewels at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino here.
?First of all, I would like to thank the Lord for giving me this victory tonight,? announced Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs) during a post fight press conference at the media center. ?I would like to thank the Marquez Team for giving me a hard fight.?
Pacquiao admitted that ?Marquez was better tonight; he had a lot of improvement and he had a lot of counter punches.?
The 29-year-old Filipino three-division world champion said his strategy during the fight was to counterpunch as he was wary of Marquez?s jabs which ?were not like before? during their first encounter four years ago.
Pacquiao acknowledged that Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs) had power but said he could handle it and that if Marquez wanted to defeat him, the dethroned champion should knock him out.
?I could handle his power because of my brave heart,? Pacquiao, who needed at least 10 stitches to close an ugly cut below his right eyebrow, declared.
He suffered two superficial cuts, according to Dr. Jeffrey Ross, who attended to his injury after the fight.
Ross said it will take about six to eight months for the wound, caused by Marquez?s wicked right in the sixth round, to heal ?but it will not preclude him from training and fighting in his regular schedule.?
In his hotel room, Pacquiao blamed himself for absorbing that cut which he admitted had affected his performance after he scored a bone-chilling knockdown in the third round that everyone thought would end the fight.
?Masyado kasi akong nag relax eh dahil alam ko na kaya ko ang suntok nia,? he sobbed.
Marquez and his team refused to accept the verdict. At the press conference, they bewailed the controversial split decision and insisted that Marquez had won convincingly.
?They took away the victory from me even if I won clearly,? Marquez protested. ?I?m happy because of the performance I had tonight even if I?m already 34 years old. I have proven that Pacquiao is not a superman as what they have been saying about him.?
Top photo: Marquez is down on the canvas after being caught by a Pacquiao left cross in the third round in this bit of action from their fight at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas. Photo by Dr. Ed de la Vega.
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