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Philippines, 20 Feb 2026 |
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THE GREAT DEBATE By Hermie Rivera PhilBoxing.com Sun, 30 Mar 2008  Boxing or what some call the Sweet Science is all about heart. That's why Manny Pacquiao eked out a well-deserved victory over Juan Manuel Marquez due to a ticker twice bigger than Mexico's external debt. End of discussion? "Not quite" says esteemed colleague John Chavez who insists otherwise: "While Pacquiao might possess a ticker twice the size of Mexico's external debt, Marquez, at 34 years of age showcased an equally large heart twice the size of Manny Pacquiao's stable of mistresses." In battling a prime "Pacman" possessing a five year youth advantage, the Mexico City precision puncher fought gallantly, rising off the canvas to show the world that Mexican fighters are what truly drives the sport of boxing. Unlike Pacquiao, Marquez is one of the great fighters to come from a country that has redwood-like deep roots embedded within the sweet science. While the recent bout between "Dinamita" and the Filipino legend has provided much fuel for plenty of controversy, you can't take away from the fact that a future hall-of-famer gave Manny all he could handle for every second of every round. The fight itself was a beautiful specimen of counter-punching in Marquez and controlled aggression in Pacquiao. For those spectators that favor the come forward style of a pressure fighter, they scored the bout for Pacquiao. For those that favor the tactical, but equally effective matador-type approach to boxing, they tended to favor the Mexican. Being an aficionado of the sport, I appreciated the subtle effectiveness in Marquez's ability to sneak his punches inside the slightest of openings as Manny showed a vast improvement in his defensive capabilities. It was a magnificent display by "Dinamita" as he showed the world that there is more than one facet to Mexican prize fighting. He showed that not only does the warrior blood pump fiercely through their veins but also that they are an extremely intelligent group of soldiers that can out-fight and out-think their opponents whoever they might be. "If you've been watching boxing for quite some time and genuinely have a firm grasp of the sport, you'd understand that Juan Manuel Marquez was the true victor in the March 15 rematch." "End of story." Wow! Son of a real gun. Careful John Chavez -- you could ignite another Filipino-Spanish war with that anti-Pinoy belligerency. Ask Recah Trinidad. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Hermie Rivera.  |
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