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There is a bit of debate raging on right now as to whom the exact winner should have been in this weekend?s third encounter between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. Inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao would defend his WBO welterweight crown with a majority decision but Marquez had several great moments throughout the compelling bout.
It was surprising when word hit that some of Pacquiao?s stable mates from the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, notably Jorge Linares, Amir Khan, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., seemed to initially favor Marquez in the bout. It was the type of fight that saw several close rounds and people could be forgiven for favoring either round, but another figure close to Pacquiao has stepped forward to share her side of the story.
WBO female super bantamweight champion Ana Julaton was in the building when the two men produced another stirring battle and has no doubts that the right man won.
?I scored it 8rds to 4rds for Pacquiao,? Julaton said in a statement from her advisor Angelo Reyes, who reached out so that Ana could voice her opinion. ?Manny, as the Champion defending his title, initiated most of the action. Pacquiao threw lightning quick combinations, was effective with his right hook, showed great counter-punching skills, demonstrated superior defensive skills and amazing footwork.? Advertisement
Julaton felt that Marquez was fighting on even terms midway through the fight, but saw Pacquiao seizing the initiative late in the fight.
?I scored rounds 2, 4, 5 and 7 convincingly for Marquez’s decisive counter-punching, solid left-right combinations and lead right hands,? said Julaton, who has been working with Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach since 2007. ?Marquez was more defensive minded throughout this fight, possibly to avoid any openings for a knockdown like in the previous two fights, but his defensive style didn’t win me over to score him more of the rounds against the Champion. It was a close fight throughout. It was a fight every second.?
Always a classy individual, Julaton was quick to point out that, regardless of any controversy connected to the fight, seeing the fight in person was quite the experience.
?From my seats the live experience of the event and the die-hard Marquez fans made the arena electrifying,? said Julaton. ?From rounds 1 through 12, chants from Marquez fans echoed and set the ambiance. For every rally of punches Marquez made, whether he connected or not, cheers of “Si se puede!” filled the air. It was contagious.
?The overwhelming cheers made missed, glanced, blocked and connecting shots from Marquez look more effective than some of them really were. Re-watch the fight and what you will witness is solid counter-punch timing from Marquez and phenomenal examples of ‘inches and angles’ from Pacquiao who not only attacked in such positions but also made Marquez miss completely. Pacquiao neutralize some blows by “inches and angles”. Brilliant boxing. Personally, I think the best view to closely witness this extraordinary display of boxing was in the judges’ seats and on pay-per-view TV.?
