Juan Manuel Marquez has never been knocked out. The records show that he was disqualified in his pro debut and outboxed twice by Chris John and Freddie Norwood.
Manny Pacquiao came close the last time around. Had the three knockdown rule been in effect, the fight would have been stopped and ?Dinamita? defused early.
LAST ROUNDERS. My esteemed compa?ero Atty. Albertino Mata Jr. emailed me with a simple request, ?Please predict the round that Marquez will fall.?
Mathew of Mandaue City also wanted to know my take on this super-fight through an SMS he sent to Sun.Star Cebu?s Sports Forum
Predicting the outcome of a fight between two evenly matched fighters is pretty dicey, but if you have been following this column for some time now, you will have noticed that the Last Round doesn?t wuss around, and I always call the round that the fight will end if I see a knockout happening.
But before I get into that and comply with Atty Mata?s Order dated Feb. 27, 2008, I have laid out three possible scenarios for a Pacquiao win.
Take your pick and email me your thoughts on which one is idyllic for our country?s premiere fighter at the apogee of his chosen sport.
SCENARIO NO. 1. Round 1 of Pacquiao-Marquez 2 is actually round 13 of the first fight. Marquez continues to outbox Manny by just enough to shade the round and the next two.
Undeterred, Manny soldiers on and wins rounds 5 and 6. He clips a tiring Marquez on the forehead with a right hook in Round eight and the latter is forced to be on the defensive.
Manny plows through Rounds nine and ten with wicked shots to the body. Marquez retaliates in spurts but he is clearly a spent force.
But this time around, Manny has better socks on, and the blisters on this fight are not on his feet but on his combinations that repeatedly rock Marquez in the championship rounds. It?s Pacquiao by unanimous decision.
SCENARIO NO. 2. Juan Manuel Marquez? worst fears have come true. Just like the first fight, the first round is very rough. Manny nails him with straight lefts and his chin still doesn?t hold up.
The first clean hit staggers Marquez halfway across the ring. Manny hops in for the kill but Marquez displays his savvy counterpunching skills by timing Manny?s rushes.
Marquez becomes giddy with his minor success and opts to trade with Manny in the middle rounds. Big mistake. Marquez lands with an overhand right but Manny counters with a left uppercut that surprises Marquez and stops him in his tracks. A searing one-two combo that he never saw coming knocks him down for the second time. He bravely tries to rise up but the referee has seen enough. Manny by KO in round seven.
SCENARIO NO. 3. There are no feeling out rounds and both combatants immediately engage in a war. Marquez gets off to a promising start and appears to be the stronger fighter.
In the third, a clash of heads leaves Manny with a nasty cut on his right eyebrow. Sensing danger, Manny steps it up a notch and fearlessly wades in.
Marquez catches him off-balance with a left hook and Manny goes down. Stunned, but not hurt. In the corner. Freddie Roach advises Manny to time his attacks just like they practiced in the gym. Manny responds with a much better performance in round eight and the tide turns.
Manny nails Marqez with a right hook over a lazy jab and a scintillating straight left deposits his rump on the canvass. He gets up wobbly. But this time Manny doesn?t go where fools rush in. He gives Marquez enough rope to hang himself as he stalks the latter and pummels him in spurts.
Bravely Marquez tries to counterpunch but Pacquiao has the timing primed just right. One-two, step back, cover and unleash four punch combos.
A battered and bewildered Marquez does not have enough left in round ten and he falls down twice in between some rough clinches. The ref calls rules them as slips but he?s just about done.
He answers the bell for the eleventh but Pacquiao is all over him, prompting the referee to rescue him at the two minute mark.
THE LAST ROUND. It?s on Marit Stinus-Remonde who celebrates her birthday this week. Cheers!
