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MAYBE NOT SO SOON, BUT WHY NOT A THIRD AND FINAL ACT? By Sev Sarmenta PhilBoxing.com Mon, 17 Mar 2008 A couple of months ago, yours truly was just one of many that hoped a Pacquiao-Marquez II would happen. We had shared that hope with the loyal readers of this site, which is dedicated to the sweet science and all those who follow it. We all got our wish yesterday. But interestingly enough, after the analysts are done reviewing each explosive round of the fight that gave Manny Pacquiao the superfeatheweight title, the clamor will be for one more battle to complete the trilogy. The closeness of the battle at Mandalay Bay again pried open more questions than answers. Was the margin of victory clear-cut? Was it another draw? Was it so close that another battle is needed? Because the warriors were so evenly matched and the fight had so much at stake in terms of personal and nationalistic pride, everything seemed to even out. For me, Pacquiao won because of that devastating knockdown of Marquez in the third and his ability to respond to Dinamita?s attempts to regroup in the remaining nine rounds. Pacquiao handled the Marquez resurgence better this time around, compared to the first encounter four years ago. The Marquez faithful have claimed that their man had turned the fight around and should have gotten the nod of all the judges, and not just one. The lament seemed to say that the knockdown was just one brief fall compared to nine rounds of skillful boxing. But sometimes, that?s all it takes. I have always believed that if there were one fighter today who could square up against the Filipino champion it would be Marquez. Again, he put on display the skills and heart to prove that. He just fell short by the closest of margins and it all began in the third round when he turned a bit awkwardly and Pacquiao nailed him cleanly. So is the business truly ?finished?? Fans definitely want another round. The final showdown may not happen that soon. Remember, just getting this second act on the road took quite a while. In fact, the fight we witnessed took four years to be realized. If the next fight will take four years again to come true, it might not be good for the two fighters. It might not take that long, really with what happened in Act II - the fight was great and the box office made beautiful music, all very good reasons to take the show on the road again. In the meantime, both gladiators have to nurse battle-scars and recover from the punishing training regimens they both put themselves through. There are other plans for Pacquiao, foremost of which is looking at a heavier weight class, despite the fact he had no trouble making 130 this time around. It may not be as easy in the future though as Pacquiao grows older when even his most rigid training program will not be able to defy the course of nature. Then, both Golden Boy and Top Rank have to set the negotiating table again, review the contract of the second match and then talk about the financials. The money involved and the desire of the fighters to put a climax to what has already been a thrilling two-act drama will eventually decide the fate of Pacquiao-Marquez III. Be careful what you wish for, they say. For all you know, it could happen just like the fight we wished for yesterday. Even if it takes a little while. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Sev Sarmenta.  |
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