After the third meeting between Manny Pacquiao 54-3-2 (38) and Juan Manuel Marquez 53-6-1 (39) concluded this past Saturday night, the HBO broadcast team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Emanuel Steward were quick to point out that Marquez’s trainer Nacho Beristain was the scapegoat and part of the reason why the decision favoring Pacquiao was met with disapproval by most of the fans attending the fight, simply because Beristain told Marquez he had the fight won. Yeah, no less than six, and probably more like seven rounds of Marquez out-boxing Pacquiao was unraveled by one sentence.
How transparent was that? Everyone reading this knows Marquez wasn’t going to get the decision unless he beat Pacquiao half to death and he was being held up by the referee when the fight was over. Nacho isn’t why his fighter didn’t win the decision – even if Marquez won the last round the fight would’ve been a draw. Prior to their third fight there wasn’t much separating them and depending on who you asked, either fighter could’ve been declared the winner of both bouts. And their third fight this past weekend was no different. It was a very close fight and I wouldn’t consider the decision favoring Pacquiao a robbery. However, I scored it for Marquez 7-5 or 6-5-1 and thought he clearly won.
Those who are blaming Beristain are happy that things went the way they did and Pacquiao won the decision. Blaming Nacho is a smokescreen and deviates from the fact that Pacquiao has lost a little quickness and was a step behind Marquez for the better part of the fight. Manny is befuddled by straight punches and is often knocked out of position by them. As it was stated here before the fight, you don’t have to hurt Pacquiao to beat him, you just have to bother him and make him think instead of react, and that’s what Marquez did.
Based on how Pacquiao looked against Marquez this past weekend, Floyd Mayweather better drop the Olympic style drug testing demands and make the fight. He’s already waited too long and with the consensus favoring Marquez as to who won this past weekend, Mayweather can’t even claim he was first to beat Pacquiao during his great run over the last six years if he does win when they fight.
