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Philippines, 17 May 2024 |
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REJOICE PHILIPPINES? WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION! By Ed de la Vega, DDS PhilBoxing.com Sun, 16 Mar 2008  Las Vegas, Nevada - Forget all the wishful thinking from the Mexicans boxing fans indicating that Juan Manuel Marquez will retain his WBC Super bantamweight crown when he trades leather with Manny Pacquiao during their much anticipated, big money second fight in this ?sin city?. Damp all the hype and hoopla and the prediction from these same people that Marquez will knockout Manny Pacquiao. Or at the very least counter-punch his way to a 12 round UD victory over the Filipino idol. Drop all the advantages supposedly gained from running at high altitude at the Toluca Volcano and sparring with imported southpaw sparmates since December of last year. All of these are useless for none of them worked. Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao, the Filipino boxing dynamo whose left hand has been described by no less than Marquez himself as ?as fast as a bullet? proved them all worthless?the huge Mexican fan based support, the hype they created and the high altitude running and training supervised by the famed Nacho Beristein with the help of southpaw sparmates from as far as Japan. Although at age 34, the man Mexican boxing fans adoringly call ?Dinamita? may still has a lot of juice left in his gas tank. Tonight however, whatever was left was just a wee bit short of what he needed to totally keep the buzz saw Pacquiao at bay. Gone was the total control he had when he beat the likes of Rocky Juarez, Terdsak Jandaeng , Jimrex Jaca and Marco Antonio Barrera, the later for the WBC crown he lost tonight. Pacquiao?s victory was a validation of the three knockdowns he did to Marquez the first time they met four years ago. And it emphasized succinctly, his sobriquet as the ?Mexican Executioner?, something that the Marquez camp refused to accept. The fact that Marquez salvaged a draw in that first bout now means nothing at all. The hard fought victory is a concrete proof that when Pacquiao is focused, well-conditioned and properly trained, he is the man to beat him in the 130 lb. division. In fact he took all what Marquez can deliver but he kept on coming for a lot more. Clearly tonight, between the two gladiators in Pacquiao and Marquez, without any doubt, Pacquiao was the better man. Team Marquez should accept that and move on. After all, he scored a clear knocked down on Marquez in the 3rd round to prove that. Pacquiao?s victory is a tribute to his work ethic and the hard core training from Freddie Roach and Eric Brown of the Wildcard Gym. It is also that of Team Pacquiao who through hard work and cooperation helped put together a training camp free of distractions that could have side tracked the man. Least I forget, congratulations to trainers Boboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri for their leadership in and out of the ?Palazzo? that kept the atmosphere that way. The Pacquiao victory however did not come easy. No body ever thought it will be anyway. Both Pacquiao and Marquez were bloodied and need stitches to close their battle wounds. Marquez is a hungry, determined and a proud gladiator who fought for the glory and not for the money. He allegedly took a lesser pay to make this fight happen and prove to his people that he is in a level higher than the others before him who fell on the wayside. Many fans, including this writer are thankful that he did so. But for this writer, that is where the gratitude ends. Should we feel bad for Marquez because his sacrifices did not pay off? Not really! In the fight business, just like life, nothing is fair. For Marquez, that is how ?the cookie crumbled?. There is always a ?next time?, perhaps. Should we respect him for his efforts? Of course! After all he was the champion. And, he was a fierce and a worthy opponent for Pacquiao. Sadly however, he was also a sore loser. The sold out crowd that included the ?who is who? in almost everything that matters in Vegas, from the ordinary fans to movie stars to big time high rollers ( including of course in some small measure, politicians of the Philippine kind) got their money?s worth. The fight was what the promoters hyped it to be?. a sure bet for the ?Fight of the Year? award. In the end, who ever wanted it most came out on top. Marquez, who is the last Mexican standing in the 130 weight class, wanted the fight for the glory of Mexico. For Pacquiao it was more than that. It was for his family and the hordes of Filipinos who look up to him as a hero who can bring peace to the country even just for a short while. It was also for the fact that in spite of his successes on the ring, he did not own a ?legitimate boxing title?. The Marquez? title was the first amongst others he would like to hold and call his own before he leaves the sweet science called pro boxing. Thus, it was imperative that he beats Marquez and complete the so called ?unfinished business?! So what is now next for Pacquiao? Bob Arum has spoken about Macau or Dubai where big money lurks. He even has a date in July reserved at HBO. So it is up to him to come up with the suitable foes for Pacquiao. A tiff with David Diaz is possible but not with Juan Diaz. Poor Juan lost his three belts to an underdog named Nate Campbell at Cancun, Mexico last Saturday. With that, he lost his place on the ?Pacquiao queue?. Now that Ricky Hatton has signed with the Golden Boy Promotions who co-promoted the Pacquiao-Marquez fight, a Hatton and Pacquiao is a possibility too. Even a fight with Oscar de la Hoya himself may happen, albeit remotely. An immediate re-matched with Marquez is for now however, out of the question. And, if it ever happens, it will be at 135 pounds. What appears most likely is a fight with David Diaz. Diaz was a victor tonight in an undercard fight. In the meantime, to the Filipinos all over the world as we wait for the next fight, this is much I can say: Rejoice?.. for we have a new champion! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.  |
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