The reason Manny Pacquiao has remained popular despite his two successive defeats can be attributed to his impressive performance during his fights against Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez. Although Pacquiao lost to Bradley and Marquez in succession last year, boxing fans believe Pacquiao actually won his fights if not for the seemingly flawed scoring by the judges in the case of Bradley and overconfidence and carelessness in the case of Marquez. In June 2012, Pacquiao lost on points to Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada but the verdict of the judges was rejected by different groups including veteran boxing judges, boxing fans, media personalities covering the event and the public in general. Two of the three judges scored the fight at 113-115 while the other judge scored it at 115-113, resulting in split decision. The decision drew widespread criticism from the public but Pacquiao prevailed upon his fans who were angry with the decision to respect the judges’ verdict. Pacquiao was visibly stunned by the decision but was gracious in defeat as Bradley called for a rematch. Writers representing major media organizations, including ESPN, Ring Magazine, Yahoo Sports, Los Angeles Times, HBO and 50 other media outlets all scored in favor of Pacquiao. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who talked to Bradley before the announcement of the judges decision said that “before the scorecards were read out, Bradley told him “I tried hard but I couldn’t beat the guy.” A few days after the fight, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) convened a five-man panel composed of veteran boxing judges to validate the controversial decision of the three judges. On June 12, WBO announced that Pacquiao should have won the match as the five judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of Pacquiao. However WBO cannot overturn the result because only the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) could do so under the rules. In the case of Juan Manuel Marquez, everyone knows that Pacquiao was leading in the judges’ scorecards when suddenly Marquez caught Pacquiao with a power right punch to the jaw barely a second before the end of the sixth round. Critics say Pacquiao’s loss was mainly due to his carelessness and overconfidence. Nonetheless, Pacquiao congratulated Marquez, who struggled with his bloody nose, for his victory. Marquez later said he knew Pacquiao was going to knock him down in the succeeding rounds. In his statement which appeared in the dailymail.co.uk Pacquiao said: ‘I want to congratulate Juan Manuel. I have no excuses. It was a good fight and he deserved the victory. I think boxing fans who watched us were winners too. ‘To all my fans, I would like to thank you for your prayers and assure you that I am fine. I am looking forward to a nice rest and then I will be back to fight.’ In both fights, Pacquiao graciously accepted his defeats despite widespread protests in the case of Bradley and carelessness in the case of Marquez. These gestures of humility and sportsmanship have endeared Pacquiao to his fans and supporters even in times of defeat and adversity. This is also the reason Pacquiao remains popular and marketable among endorsers even after two successive defeats at the hands of Bradley and Marquez.
