Whether you think it was a robbery (a term that seems to be way overused this weekend) or a close Manny Pacquiao win (which is the minority opinion), this much is clear: what Ken Norton was to the great Muhammad Ali, Juan Manuel Marquez is to the iconic Filipino pugilist. That was shown again this past weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Marquez once again not only neutralized Pacquiao for long stretches of the fight but he befuddled him with his timing and precision. In the end, Marquez was seen to be the second best man in the ring (again).
This fight was made and engineered in large part to accentuate and expose Pacquiao?s advantages in size (a 144-pound catchweight) and the advanced age of Marquez (now 38). What was counted on was an old Marquez. Instead, Pacquiao faced the Marquez of old.
The bottom line is this: Marquez was better at being Marquez than Pacquiao was at being Pacquiao.
It was all at once a satisfying yet frustrating night for the Mexican stylist.
?I?m happy about my performance tonight,? he told the assembled media through his promoter, Fernando Beltran,? and honestly, I don?t know what I need to do to change the mind of the judges.?
