L AS VEGAS – There is no truth to the rumor that Manny Pacquiao was seen speeding away from the MGM Grand Garden Arena wearing a mask with three blind judges in the backseat on Saturday night.
But after he took a controversial 12-round majority decision from Juan Manuel Marquez to the disbelief of many ringside observers and a partisan Mexican crowd, Ignacio (Nacho) Berstain, Marquez?s trainer, could have sworn that?s exactly what he saw.
?It was a robbery of the utmost,? Berstain said.
He wasn?t alone in that opinion. While Pacquiao was being interviewed by HBO?s Max Kellerman after retaining his WBO welterweight title, boos rained down from the audience as did cups of beer and soda. Judge Glen Trowbridge scored it 116-112 for Pacquiao, judge Dave Moretti scored it 115-113 for Pacquiao and judge Robert Hoyle scored it 114-114, a draw. The Daily News scored it 116-112 for Marquez.
It took Pacquiao almost two hours to make it to the postfight press conference. He said he was getting cuts above his eye and inside his bottom lip sutured by a plastic surgeon. When he did arrive, he had little to say other than he thought he clearly won. He took two questions and then rushed from the MGM Grand for a singing gig down the Strip at Mandalay Bay.
It seems Pacquiao was adhering to the old adage that when you win say little and when you win in a controversial manner say even less. He left it up to his trainer, Freddie Roach, and his promoter, Bob Arum, to explain how he won.
?I thought it was close, but I thought Manny edged it out over the last two rounds,? Roach said. ?It was a fight that I didn?t want to do again anyway. I told you that Manny was going to knock him out. I was off on that. He has Manny?s number with that counterpunching style.?
If Marquez could do that to Pacquiao, what will Floyd Mayweather Jr., who mopped up the ring with Marquez, do to Pacquiao if they ever fight?
?Mayweather has that same counterpunching style and he could give Manny problems,? Roach said. ?We have to get to work because we have to deal with these counter -punchers better. I have to do my job better.?
Any Mayweather-Pacquiao fight in May 2012 is in doubt now because after the fight on Saturday night, Arum was pushing for a fourth fight with Marquez, possibly next May. Pacquiao, who earned a guarantee of $22 million, received a bailout of sorts from the judges. If he had lost to Marquez that would have diminished his financial leverage in negotiations with Mayweather and it may have had an economic impact on the value of that fight. It was a rotten decision against Marquez, but it was a gift for Pacquiao.
When informed that the Twitter world was buzzing that Marquez had been robbed on Saturday night, Arum became indignant.
?All that Twitter (bull) comes from a certain element,? Arum said. ?If you were a Mexican you believe your guy was robbed. If you were in the main audience, Manny won the fight. The (HBO) announcers had it 8-4 (in rounds) for Manny. Your Twitter people all had Spanish last names.?
