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PHILBOXING WRITERS' SCORECARDS PhilBoxing.com Wed, 19 Mar 2008 Owing to the controversial verdict of the last Pacquiao-Marquez fight, we have asked our PhilBoxing writers how they scored the fight. 15 of our writers have responded and below are their individual scores with comments. The summary is at the end of this article. Dr. Ed de la Vega, 114-113 Pacquiao Comment: I would have scored it even if not for the knock-down. Emmanuel Villaruel, 114-112 Marquez I had Marquez winning by two points, 114-112. But honestly, the fight was so close that it could have gone either way. It all depends on how the judges' view the fight. As what I've seen, Marquez clearly won the first round, but surprisingly all the three judges gave it to Pacquiao. Though it was an epic 12-round contest, it did not settle the "Unfinished Business" at all. For me, a third match between the two great warriors must be in place. (Note: Villaruel said he had one round even for both fighters, thus his score of 114-112) Edwin Espejo, 115-112 Pacquiao Comment: Here is how I saw the fight live on PPV without the benefit of replay although I now have some doubt why I scored the last round for Manny. My annotations are post-deadline comments and are in bold and italics. Round 1 Both fighters appeared tentative and measuring each other and looking what each has to offer. Manny missed with his customary lazy jabs but scored first with a left straight to the body. Marquez showed some aggressiveness and was uncharacteristically throwing his jabs before Manny could uncork his. A low blow from Marquez in the leg of Manny earned him an admonition from referee Ken Bayless. Neither fighter landed a meaningful punch although Marquez was more active midway through the round. MARQUEZ 10-9 (POST FIGHT COMMENTS) If a score of even is allowed under the Nevada rule, I would have scored this round even. Marquez landed more punches but Pacquiao connected the heavier punches. Round 2 Manny opened the round looking to engage Marquez by being aggressive with his jabs and left straights. Marquez was landing with his right straights and left hooks to the body of Pacquiao. Marquez was accurate with his counters and with few seconds left in the round, he uncorked a thundering left hook that snapped down Manny's head as the Filipino kept on pressing. MARQUEZ 10-9 Definitely Marquez' big round after a right straight that caught Manny on the mouth and followed by a crushing left hook. Round 3 Manny was more active. He was stiffening his jabs and landed a three-punch combination early in the round. Marquez however landed with right leads of his own. The tow boxers slugged it out late in the rounds and with less than 30 seconds left in the third, Manny landed a short but very powerful left hook to the chin of Marquez who was sent crashing to the canvass on his back. He beat the count and Manny pressed in for the kill as the bell sounded. Marquez was still wobbly and nearly went to the wrong corner as he gathered his wits. PACQUIAO 10-8 Self explanatory. A knockdown is a knockdown although Marquez was dominating the early moments of the round. Round 4 Marquez was still hurting and Pacquiao exploited this with lunging left straights that often found their target. Manny has closed the distance between him and Marquez but Marquez somehow recovered late in the rounds and also connected with several counters of his own. PACQUIAO 10-9 Marquez ate more leather from Manny than any round in the match. Definitely Manny's round. Round 5 Manny somehow slowed down on his attack and was waiting for Marquez to commit. Marquez connected with a left hook to the body of Manny and a big right to the face of the Filipino champ before the round ended. An accidental clash of heads open a small cut on the right eyelid of Marquez. MARQUEZ 10-9 Manny inexplicably slowed down and allowed Marquez to recover. Manny got tagged by several combinations from Marquez Round 6 Marquez showed sign he has recovered from the knockdown in the third and was connected with his right leads to the face of Manny was backing down. Marquez landed some two to three punch combinations and has regained confidence. MARQUEZ 10-9 Marquez reverted back to his counterpunching way which made it difficult for Manny to sustain his attack. Marquez landed the more telling blows in this round Round 7 Manny pressed on his attacks and the two exchange furious combinations in the middle of the ring. Manny is getting the better of the exchanges. Marquez landed a glancing left hook that opened a big cut on the right eyelid of Manny. PACQUIAO 10-9 Manny stole this round from Marquez after finishing strong. Marquez had his moments in the early portion of the round although Manny was not totally outboxed and outpunched. Round 8 Marquez now has a target and was throwing more jabs at the right eye of Manny who was bothered by the blood flowing inside his eyes. Manny was backing down from Marquez and was repeatedly tagged by right leads from the Mexican. MARQUEZ 10-9 Marquez' best round for the match as far as punch delivery is concerned. He had Manny backpedaling and missing throughout the canto on account of Manny's impaired vision due to bleeding from the cut on the Filipino's eye. Round 9 Still bothered with blood flowing for m his cut eyelid, Manny connects with big lefts and snapped the head of Marquez several times. The cut on Marquez's eye worsened and he was now bleeding profusely. Manny pressed for the attack and staggered Marquez with a series of combination as the bell ended to capture the round. PACQUIAO 10-9 Manny again stole this round after starting slowly but connecting the more telling blows towards the end of the 9th Round 10 Sensing he had Marquez in trouble, Manny continued to press Marquez with powerful lefts but Marquez answered with several big rights of his own. The two locked horns and threw several of their money punches but Manny landed with a big left as the bell sounded. PACQUIAO 10-9 Manny almost knocked down Marquez with a big overhand left to again steal the round although the Mexican was the more aggressive fighter in this round Round 11 The penultimate round. Marquez landed a low blow that hurt Pacquiao. He was given a warning. Marquez' combinations were no longer as crisp and as swift as in the early goings but he continued to fight back and landed several shots against Manny. Manny however sensed that his foe's punches have lost their sting and landed several big lefts at the end of the eleventh to again steal the round from Marquez. PACQUIAO 10-9 I gave this round to Manny for connecting the heavier punches Round 12 The crowd was on their fifth as the two boxers touched gloves to begin the round. Marquez was still landing his right hands but Manny also repeatedly threw big lefts. The two are now missing some of their power punches. Marquez appeared tired while Manny was still landing bigger punches as the round ended. PACQUIAO 10-9 This would have been an even round but because Manny connected the last heavier punches, I gave it to him My score total was 115-112 for Manny. If I had the luxury of altering my score in any round, that would be the 12th. And if I had given it to Marquez, Manny would still win the fight with a score of 114-113 While it is true that Marquez landed more punches according to the statistics, most of them came when he was winning the rounds, particularly Rounds 2, 5, 6 and 8. I don't know if this would help clear the air on the controversy that I regard as non-issue. Compared to the first fight, Manny was more competitive in many rounds and the knockdown in the third round was the margin that Manny won even if Marquez got my nod on the 12th. On the whole, Manny was the more consistent aggressor and was the one dictating the tempo of the fight. Marquez was better than the first fight but Manny was even better this time. I also weigh how badly each fighter got hurt on the best punches their opponent delivered. Without doubt, Marquez was more wobbly and even got knockdown. Manny never appeared to be on the verge of getting knocked down throughout the fight. True, he got tagged in the second round. But that was because both his feet were not properly planted on the canvass as he was backing away after that right straight that hit him in the mouth. By the time the left hook of Marquez caught him on the chin, he was no longer on his footing. Had Marquez got tagged by the same punch, I doubt if he would be able to withstand it. Rod Mijares, 114-113 Pacquiao Comment: The score sheet (attached) was the one I used during the fight. Right after the 12th round I added it up 116-114 for Pacquiao. In the post fight press conference, I showed it to Joseph Pimentel of Asian Journal of Las Vegas as he wanted to compare my score with him. He said we were almost the same but I might have added the score incorrectly in haste. So, when I saw your email. I transferred the score and made a running total and I got exactly as what Judge Miller had, 114-113 for Pacquiao. Ryan Songalia, 114-113 Pacquiao Comment: It was a tough fight to score, no question about it. My score had Pacquiao winning 114-113, with the knockdown being the deciding factor. You really had to go by your instinct with each passing round. The only rounds that were clear for either guy were 2 and 8, which were for Marquez, and 3 and 10, which were for Pacquiao. All of the other rounds were virtually subjective to the observer's individual biases and discretion. I'm sure if I watched the fight 50 times, I'd come back with a different score each time. If Marquez was awarded the decision, I would have no quarrels with it. Of course, a champion in close decisions usually gets the benefit of the doubt. If that is factored in, as it usually does in Sin City, I could understand a sentimental judge ruling in favor of Marquez. Epifanio Almeda, No score. Comment: I did not score to fully enjoy the fight. I just have a feeling that Marquez won by a point or two. Rico Navarro, 114-113 Marquez Ed Picson, 114-113 Marquez Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total PACQUIAO 9 9 10 10 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 9 113 MARQUEZ 10 10 8 9 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 10 114 The fight being so close, there were rounds where it was so tight, I could have scored it a draw, but decided to score for one or the other fighter. As a matter of fact, when I saw the replay, I felt I could have given Pacquiao the 1st round which would have altered my total the other way. While I was scoring it, I did not keep a running tab, which means I had no idea who was leading in my card. That said, I feel the split decision is more than acceptable. And in hindsight, the 3rd round knockdown and the more damaging effects of Pacquiao's blows could really tilt it in his favor. Ergo, a Marquez decision would probably elicit more justifiable protestations. Salven Lagumbay, 114-113 Pacquiao Dong Secuya, 114-113 Pacquiao Comment: I had Pacquiao winning rounds 3, 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11. Jason Aniel, 114-113 Pacquiao Comment: Manny won 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10. Anthony Andales, 115-113 Marquez Comment: As we understand if you are the challenger, in order to obtain a decision you must at least dictate the fight. The best example was when Gerry Penalosa challenged Hiroshi Kawashima of Japan. Gerry captured the crown via decision because as a challenger he dictated/dominated the champion Kawashima. But on this fight, Manny was outboxed by the champion Marquez. Eventhough Marquez was floored on the 3rd round, but still he managed to regroup himself and pursue his well-planned and effective counter right hand to the head and a crisp hook-straight to the body. That makes me think highly of Marquez, his ability bounce back from a knockdown, instead of worrying out of Pacquiao's power, Marquez attacked Pacquiao with his own combination. Also, I talked to AJ Banal and World Champion Ahas Nietes yesterday via long distance, they too thought that Marquez edged Pacquiao. Salvador Lopez, 114-113 Marquez Comment: Judging from one of SM Sta. Rosa's theaters, I scored the fight 114-113 in favor of Marquez (based from my perception that the 1st and 12th rounds, which were probably the most closely contested rounds of the fight, were won by Marquez). However, there were some instances where Pacquiao "appeared to have been connecting" with jab straight combinations but the view was not so clear on screen so, I did not credit him for tho)se - it is possible that Manny did connect and the judges at ringside would have seen them much much clearer... So that 114-113 score could also have gone easily for Pacquiao...(Nonetheless, I uttered the phrase "AND THE NEW(!)" ahead of Michael Buffer, hoping for a Pacquiao victory!) Ronnie Nathanielsz, No Score Comment: To be honest I never kept score round by round because I had several visitors at home following the fight on PPV over Dream TV including a GMA 7 crew. However, when it was over I said a draw would have been the best result based on my overall appreciation of the fight. I also wrote in my Manila Standard story that felt the third round knockdown made the difference and that when Marquez held on to the ropes that is considered a knockdown and although Kenny Bayless didnt see it that way it probably played on the minds of the judges. Summary: Pacquiao - 8, Marquez - 5 For Pacquiao: Dr. Ed de la Vega (114-113), Edwin Espejo (115-112), Rod Mijares (114-113), Ryan Songalia (114-113), Salven Lagumbay (114-113), Dong Secuya (114-113), Jason Aniel (114-113) For Marquez: Emmanuel Villaruel (114-112), Rico Navarro (114-113), Ed Picson (114-113), Anthony Andales (115-113), Salvador Lopez (114-113) Did Not Score: Epifanio Almeda (felt Marquez had won), Ronnie Nathanielsz (felt it was a draw but a knockdown scored by Pacquiao could have won it for him) |
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