?Should old acquaintance be forgot ?? Even though New Year?s celebrations are still less than a month away, on this coming Saturday, the ?old acquaintance? between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will be far from forgotten. The two pound-for-pound standouts and future Hall of Famers will meet for the fourth time to try to determine once and for all which of them is the better fighter.
The record says it?s Pacquiao. After all, he won decisions in the two of their three previous encounters, with the other ending in a draw. As well, Pacquiao scored the only knockdowns in those fights: three in the first round of their first bout (the one that ended in a draw) and one in the second.
Fan opinion, on the other hand, is divided. Some believe Marquez should have gotten the nod in the second two fights, and also that the Mexican scored a moral victory by holding Pacquiao to a draw in the first one after that disastrous first round. In their third meeting, which took place in November of last year, it appeared that Marquez had done enough to earn an unequivocal victory. The judges thought otherwise, and the transcendently popular Pacquiao suddenly heard boos from the crowd.
Since that controversial duel, the fighters? paths have taken different directions. Rather than take on a fourth fight with his nemesis, Pacquiao chose to fight the young, undefeated Timothy Bradley. Bradley ended up winning an upset decision that was as controversial as Pacquiao?s over Marquez. Payback? Poetic justice? What-goes-around- comes-around? Who knows? The bottom line is, Pacquiao?s image as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world lost a lot of its luster.
Meanwhile, Marquez swallowed his dismay and went on to defeat the respected Serhiy Fedchenko for something called the interim WBO light-welterweight championship (don?t ask).
Pacquiao?s choices were to face either Bradley or Marquez again, or retire. A mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather is, by now, just a mirage. Although an immediate rematch with the upstart Bradley made more sense, Pacquiao opted to continue his ?old acquaintance? with Marquez.
So, what will happen on December 8? Well, before their third fight last year, I was certain that Pacquiao would prevail in a manner much more decisive than the outcomes of their first two matches. I believed that Manny had become a bigger, stronger, smarter fighter than he had been before, while Marquez was beginning to show his age (he?s 39 going into Saturday?s contest). Marquez ?had Pacquiao?s number? in terms of possessing the style and strategy to give Manny fits, win or lose. But Pacquiao seemed to have progressed to the point where he would be able to overwhelm the Mexican.
As it turned out, Marquez still had Pacquiao?s number, and Pacquiao wasn?t able to impose his will as he had on most of his other opponents. Pacquiao got the points on the judges? scorecards, but Marquez made his point with the audience and fight fans in general.
And that?s what is likely to happen again. Somehow, Marquez is able to mess with Pacquiao?s head better than anyone else can. Whatever tactics Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach concoct in the gym end up going out the window once Pacquiao and Marquez face each other in the ring. It?s as though Marquez knows how to make Pacquiao doubt himself.
Aggression is the only card Pacquiao can play. That?s what impressed the judges who voted for him in the three earlier fights, and it will impress them this time, too. Pacquiao will win again on a close call. Marquez will again be bitterly disappointed. The fans will again be deeply divided. And that?s the way it will always be with these two great, evenly matched ?old acquaintances.?
By the way, Pacquiao and Marquez are fighting for the WBO?s newly minted ?Fighter of the Decade? belt. Will the madness ever cease?
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
