LAS VEGAS–Some gremlin who probably lives a small studio apartment writes that yours truly and other Boxingconfidentual scribes are hugging Manny Pacquiao?s testicular region (that is south of GenSan, I believe).
How small is the anonymous gremlin?s tiny room? It?s so small that the cockroaches have to walk single file.
The gutless gremlin directs you to another fine boxing website to learn the ?truth? about how Juan Manuel Marquez really won Saturday night?s classic battle.
I?d bet the gutless gremlin is probably not affiliated with the site he promotes on our comments section. Instead, my guess is the no name gutless gremlin is just a Achaia from way back.
I would cite Khalill Gibran?s famous line about how hate is ?a dead and empty thing? and how the great man spurned hating because hatred turns the hater into a prisoner.
?I refuse to be entombed,? wrote Gibran.
We should be so lucky that the gutless gremlin would be incarcerated.
We may be perverted, almost criminally insane ourselves here at BC but Pacman nut huggers we?re not. John Chavez picked Marquez to win and he scored the fight, like many others who I also respect for having a boxing brain, for Juan Ma. BC does not speak with a single, White Gorilla voice, pal. We?re more a three-headed monster.
Ricardo Lois also had Marquez winning by two 115-112. If memory serves, Chavez had JMM ahead by two or three points.
I scored it 6-6 in rounds and awarded a decision to Pacquiao 114-113, the difference being the 10-8 knockdown round.
Is that nut hugging or reasoned, responsibly scoring of a fight? I?d say that judge Tom Miller, the Ohioan who replaced Dick Flaherty, would agree with me since his official card had it the same exact way and broke the tie caused by Jerry Roth voting 115-112 for Marquez and Duane Ford seeing it 115-112 for Pacman.
Here?s the truth that gutless gremlin cannot handle.
1. CHRONIC UNRESOLVED–This is why we need a third edition of Manny and Juan Ma. Their next round will be Round 25 and the sensational series scoreboard reads: Pacquaio 1, Marquez 0, 1 Even. Forget Bob Arum?s Old School Promoter act after the fight. Yes, he is playing Protective Papa for his Baby Pac but when he gets his marching orders from HBO and the price has zoomed high enough, he will run to sign a deal for Pacquiao-Marquez III. Maybe, somewhere in the next 12 rounds, either the Mexican ringmaster or the Filipino bomber will show himself to be the undeniably superior fighter. It hasn?t happened yet which is what makes the so compelling together.
2. NO BIG DOLLARS IN DAVID DIAZ–The Chicagoan and WBC lightweight champion had his hands full with a supposedly easy opponent here and he was black, blue and purple after the champ tune-up bout Arum handed him. Who in their right mind wants to see Pacman gobbling up this easy mark. But Arum is determined and he?s not wrong in wanting to hand Megamanny an easier chore. Arum is doing the same thing for his middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik in handing ?The Ghost? a laugher of a fight against Gary Lockett after two tangos with Jermain Taylor back to back. Good promoters protect their fighters when it makes sense. You don?t think Oscar de la Hoya is fighting Stevie Forbes because he is looking for a loss do you?
3. BEAT ME, WHIP ME, MAKE ME CHOOSE THE GUY WITH AN EDGE–Well, after they have battled through 24 highly competitive and often hard to score rounds if I must give the nod to one fighter, I give it to Pacquiao.
And the reason is not because I am embracing his ?family jewels,? it is common sense.
The aim of every fighter in every fight is simple. Knock the other guy out. If you can?t knock him out, KTFO style, you want6 to knock him down.
Manny has now dropped Marquez four times over the 24 rounds. Marquez, while hurting Pacquiao visibly four to five times in the rematch of the 2004 first fight, has knocked the Philippines? National Fist down ZERO TIMES!
So I hereby invoke Marley?s Four Knockdown Rule to declare that gives Pacquaio the air of superiority, however slight.
Arum does not want an immediate three match and I can understand why. He?s not looking to destroy his Golden Goose with another brutalizing bout so soon.
4. ON THE OTHER HAND–Through 24 rounds, only one fighter ever looked like he was considering throwing in the towel and that was a hurt and blooded Pacman last night. His Coach Freddie Roach said he could tell that ?packing it in? crossed his warrior?s mind. That says something for Marquez and even more for Manny.
It proves that Manny is intelligent. And it proves he?s earned his Red Badge of Courage alongside his adversary because he rejected the notion and fought his way through to the thin victory.
Gutless gremlins aside, Juan Ma deservers one more shot. The public demand will be so overwhelming that it will happen with both fighters being lightweights. It may not happen in 2008 but how long?
Not long, not long at all.
In the meantime, in between time, may the sun shine brigh;ly on them both.
Magnificent warriors, we are not worthy! You were both vastly underpaid!I
Now I guess I?m double nut hugging.
Oh, well. You know to get a walk in baseball it always takes four balls.
