On Saturday, July 31st Juan Manuel Marquez will face Juan Diaz in a rematch of last year?s ?Fight of the year? at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marquez has carved out a hall of fame career based on persistence, longevity, talent, and the willingness to constantly test himself as a fighter.
In conjunction with Marquez? fight against Diaz the Examiner will be taking a look back at two of his most memorable battles ? his May 2004 and March 2008 fights against Manny Pacquiao. Read below for a look back at the first Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao clash?
In between rounds trainer Freddie Roach begged Pacquiao to throw his hook and uppercut behind it. The Massachusetts native also asked his charge for more head movement so that he could avoid Marquez? counter shots more effectively.
As the fifth round opened up Merchant stated that Marquez had been training in high altitude mountains in Mexico and perhaps that molded him into the desired fighting shape needed to survive Pacquiao?s early onslaught. Halfway through the round Marquez would land a stiff right hand that snapped Pacquiao?s head back. Pacquiao raised his hands in the air to show that he was unaffected and the fighters traded shots soon thereafter. Marquez flurried to close the round and a cut over Pacquiao?s left eye had become visible. The fifth was a very strong round for Marquez.
Seconds before the sixth started Pacquiao looked to the heavens and crossed his chest, fully realizing how serious the situation had become. Lederman had the bout scored 47-45 for Pacquiao heading in but Marquez again would take the initiative. Perhaps Marquez? best punch was thrown in this round as an overhand right stunned Pacquiao, who proceeded to retreat to the ropes. Marquez swarmed his foe and even after Pacquiao rolled away from the ropes he was greeted with more counter right hands.
?Comeback of a lifetime for Juan Manuel Marquez!? Lampley would claim as the excitement heated up. The crowd later began to chant for the brave Mexican fighter and the tide in the bout had seemed to turn. It was another strong stanza for Marquez, who appeared to be close to evening the scorecards after his disastrous start.
In between rounds Marquez? trainer Nacho Beristain told his charge that he had won five rounds in a row and reminded him to go to the body first and to not get too comfortable with the flow of the fight. In the other corner Roach begged Pacquiao for a double jab and straight left behind it while also reminding Pacquiao that he couldn?t let Marquez take control of the fight.
Pacquiao was more assertive in the seventh and seemed to realize that he needed to make a statement. Pacquiao was busier in this round as Marquez seemed to slow down slightly. The action was fierce as the round closed with Pacquiao connecting with clean lefts while Marquez looked to counter with right hands.
The eighth was a very tactical stanza and perhaps the furious nature of the earlier rounds had taken something out of each man slightly. This round was also a very even one that could have went either way, with Marquez picking up his activity late and appearing to steal the round. Through eighth rounds Marquez had landed 104 out of 337 punches for a 31% ratio while Pacquiao was 91 out of 432 for a 21% clip. In between rounds Roach would tell Pacquiao ?You be the boss out there, son?.
Marquez seized the early momentum of the ninth by mixing up his attack with left hooks to the body. It was another round that very close and hard to score.
?A lot of people are biting their nails on the other side of the Pacific Ocean,? Merchant said as the tenth round opened, obviously referring to the undyingly loyal fans of Pacquiao. Pacquiao picked up his work rate in this round, out landing Marquez 18 to 12 and appearing to do enough to edge it out. Lampley noted that Pacquiao?s promoter Muhammad had been eyeing a high-profile schedule for his fighter, with a bout with Erik Morales rumored after this one, but that perhaps they had underestimated the danger of Marquez.
The eleventh round rolled around and Lederman revealed his 96-91 scorecard in favor of Pacquiao, who he had deemed the move aggressive, busier fighter. Lederman had Pacquiao winning four rounds in a row up until that point. The eleventh was yet another intense go around and you could make a case for either man pulling it out.
In between rounds it was the last chance for Beristain and Roach to speak to their fighters and the words were strong. Beristain claimed that it would be an incredible victory for Marquez if he could pull it out. Roach told Pacquiao to simply ?Put him on his ass?.
?Two highly motivated, highly skilled athletes, both with great hearts, giving it everything they have got,? Merchant said during the action in the twelfth. It was a fitting description of an evenly matched, well fought battle between two of the world?s best. The bell sounded to close the round and each man raised their hands in the air, fully believing they had done enough to win.
Marquez landed 158 out of his 547 punches, good for 29%, while Pacquiao was slightly busier, throwing 639 blows, but only landed 148 shots for a 23% ratio. After the chaotic first round the fight could best be described as an intense and tactical battle with pockets of action.
Michael Buffer took the microphone and read the scorecards. Guy Jutras favored Marquez with a 115-110 tally. John Steward had the same score, but in favor of Pacquiao. Lastly Burt Clements 113-113 card was read with draw verdict being the ultimate result. Neither man could walk away claiming victory but their certainly were no losers on this night.
Both camps were disappointed with the verdict and each fighter seemed to shrug, knowing that they could only control the action inside of the ring and that everything else was in the hands of the officials. It was later announced that Clements had incorrectly scored the first round 10-7 in favor of Pacquiao, an obvious mistake as the three-knockdown stanza should have constituted in a 10-6 favoring.
“Basically, I screwed up,” Clements would later say. “I was of the understanding that in a round with two or more knockdowns — multiple knockdowns — it should have been 10-7. I immediately gave the card to Marc [Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission] and said, `You don’t want 10-6s, right?’ “
Roach was beyond disappointed with Clements? error and spoke with a scorned voice as he realized it was that mistake that cost his fighter a victory.
“[Pacquiao] knocked him down three times, he had him in trouble and all but stopped him,” Roach said. “That’s got to be 10-6 without thinking.”
It was later revealed that Pacquiao felt that he had broken his right hand in the first round, perhaps an explanation for his momentum coming to a halt after the wild opening seconds. Pacquiao also claimed to be bothered by a cramp in his right leg yet still felt he did enough to emerge victorious.
“One hundred percent, I won that fight,” Pacquiao said. “I don’t know how anyone could say I didn’t. But the hand, it hurt, and I had no balance because of the leg.”
Despite not pulling out the victory Marquez showed much valor in being able to survive the hellacious beginning of the fight in which he hit the deck three times. Perhaps a little detached with his assessment of the fight, Marquez feels he controlled the action completely from round two on.
“After the first I was a little disoriented,” Marquez said. “But then I got into it again. He only won the first, maybe another. I thought I won this fight.”
Pacquiao would have gotten a shot at 130-pound champion Erik Morales had he won. Promoter Bob Arum said Carlos Hernandez will instead get that shot July 31 in a bout to unify the WBC and IBF titles. Months later Morales would end up overcoming a gutsy effort from Hernandez before eventually facing Pacquiao in March of 2005 and two times thereafter when all was said and done.
With the buzz from the bout still fresh in the air Arum would note that he would immediately look into staging a rematch between Pacquiao and Marquez. This news seemed to light up the Filipino?s world.
“Please,” Pacquiao begged. “Just one more time. Let’s do it.”
Pacquiao and Marquez would indeed end up facing one another again, but not right away. The two men?s paths would both take interesting twists and turns as they continued their pugilistic pursuits of greatness against different opposition. They would meet again in March of 2008 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in another wildly entertaining bout.
But that?s another story all its own. On November 15th, 2003 Manny Pacquiao captured one of the year?s most remarkable victories when he soundly defeated Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera by way of 11th round TKO at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Fighting from his southpaw stance, Pacquiao?s speed, power, and combination punching were too much for Barrera to cope with as he simply overwhelmed the Mexico City native before his corner through the towel in.
Two and a half years prior Pacquiao, a native of General Santos City in the Philippines, made his debut on U.S. soil with a sixth round thrashing of Lehlo Ledwaba to capture the IBF Jr. Featherweight title underneath Oscar De La Hoya?s victory over Javier Castillejo. A relative unknown in America before that appearance, Pacquiao punished his South African foil so severely that his presence couldn?t be denied. The Barrera victory put him on a completely different map and he began eyeing a spirited schedule to furhter elevate his status in the sport.
It was later announced that Pacquiao would be facing off with Mexico City?s Juan Manuel Marquez, a fighter with somewhat of a cult following on the West Coast. Marquez was somewhat of an enigma in the sport as for years he clamored for showdowns with Barrera, Erik Morales, and Prince Naseem Hamed to no avail and instead had to settle for the likes of Freddie Norwood, Manuel Medina and Derrick Gainer.
Marquez fought much of his early career fighting at the Great Western Forum while generating a buzz in Southern California. While Barrera and Morales grabbed the headlines many whispered that is was Marquez who would be the last one standing amongst the Mexican trio. Marquez was far from your ordinary Mexican fighter and attacked from a textbook stance with his hands held high while picking off his opponents with an uncanny and deadly efficiency.
Marquez? first title effort was a controversial loss to Norwood, an awkward southpaw with an ugly style, in September of 2009 underneath Floyd Mayweather?s stoppage over Carlos Gerena. Marquez was ineffective in the contest but got back on track soon thereafter, winning his next thirteen fights while capturing portions of the featherweight title in his wins against Medina and Gainer in February and November of 2003.
Taking place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 8th, 2004, The Pacquiao-Marquez encounter was dubbed ?Hearts and Fists on fire? and pitted two of the world?s most talented featherweights against one another. Both men were equally dangerous in different ways, with Pacquiao?s whirlwind attack serving as his foundation while Marquez operated with a potent attack rarely seen in the sport.
There was still a surreal buzz surrounding Pacquiao following the Barrera thrashing and he was pegged as the favorite heading into the bout. But those who knew Marquez well claimed that the 30-year old?s ring savvy, counter punching skills, and pinpoint accuracy would allow him to box Pacquiao and pick him off with angles. It was a fascinating blend of styles and figured to make for a dramatic night.
The undercard for the event was relatively lacking and included only five fights. The two most notable contests saw power-punching Super Middleweight Antwun Echols win a ten round decision over Ross Thompson and 23-year old Miguel Cotto win a hard fought decision over gritty South African Lovemore N?dou. It was Cotto?s last fight before ascending to the championship ranks at 140 pounds.
With an electric atmosphere in the air the two men would make their way into the ring. Broadcast by HBO Pay per view, the announcing team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and veteran trainer Emmanuel Steward would call the particulars with unofficial ringside judge Harold Lederman chiming in from time to time.
Pacquiao would make his way to the ring first and the building?s intensity picked up a notch. Donned in a white robe and wearing a red bandana that read ?No Fear?, Pacquiao was pumping his fists and seemed to be caught up in the moment. Lampley noted that the fighter had become a global hero for his people back in the Philippines and Merchant stated ?A lot of fighters enter the ring like they are going to a wake. He enters like he is going to a New Year ?s Eve party?.
As Pacquiao entered the ring Lampley remarked that many fight fans had considered Pacquiao the most exciting fighter in the sport at that time and pointed out that it was obvious he was ?loving every minute? of the event. Larry Merchant followed up by pointing out that Mexican and Mexican-American fight fans had become fond of Pacquiao because of his relentless style.
Michael Buffer introduced the two fighters and each man received their share of support from the crowd. Referee Joe Cortez, taking part in his 163rd world title bout, gave Pacquiao and Marquez their instructions in center ring and the moment was almost upon us. Right as the action was about to begin Lampley recalled that there had been much hype surrounding Pacquiao leading into this particular fight as stories of intense sparring sessions had been coming out of the Wild Card Gym. Pacquiao had repeatedly been punishing his sparring partners but Lampley rightfully stated ?None of that means anything now. Marquez is no sparring partner?.
The bell sounded to start the first round and the two men cautiously sized each other up. The action was sparse but there was a definite friction in the air and you could sense that anything could pop off at any given moment. Halfway through the round Marquez would miss with a right and Pacquiao would counter effectively with a left that dropped Marquez to the canvas as the crowed erupted. Moments later a follow-up left hand from Pacquiao would drop his foe yet again and you sensed that Marquez was in serious trouble.
?This is why we use the word sensation!? Lampley screamed as Marquez tried to gather himself. Pacquiao stormed Marquez and attempted to unload another volley along the ropes. Already out of his element, Marquez was caught and dropped for a third time. Cortez elected to let the fight continue and just before the round ended Lampley emphatically stated ?This is not the fight Juan Manuel Marquez would have wanted, that?s for sure. [He] hasn?t ever seen anything like that!?
Marquez attempted to regroup in the second round but still appeared a bit dazed. Lampley coined that Pacquiao?s upper body movement was confusing to the 30-year old fighter. Pacquiao landed a clean left hand a minute in but Marquez took the punch well. Despite appearing to lose the round Marquez was able to backpedal and effectively counter Pacquiao during certain spots. ?Marquez is making the stand of his life because this is the fight of his life,? Merchant later added.
In the second round Pacquiao landed 18 out of 77 punches while Marquez was 8 out of 45. Likely down by a score of 20-15 on all three scorecards, Merchant noted that Marquez had a mountain to climb if he was to get back in the fight.
In the third round Marquez got himself back on track and began landing some effective body shots. It appeared as though ?Dinamita? was getting a gauge for the speed of Pacquiao and arguably pulled the stanza out as Pacquiao was less effective with his aggression. As the round winded down Emmanuel Steward noted that Pacquiao still was very strong, comparing him to a Filipino version of Mike Tyson.
?Marquez now in the counter punching style that got him here,? Lampley would say as the fourth round picked up. By this point it was obvious that Pacquiao?s ferocious momentum had dulled and the fight was becoming more of a heated chess match than a slugfest. With a minute left Marquez would counter Pacquiao with a stinging right and followed up with two more right hands. Through four rounds Pacquiao had landed 50 out of 254 punches for a 20% ratio while Marquez was 45 out of 173 for a 26% clip…. (Click to continue on to page 2)
