After 36 rounds, four knockdowns, and close to three thousand punches traded, Filipino Manuel ?Manny-Pacman? Pacquiao and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez will slug it out for the
fourth time on December 9 (Manila time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The rivalry between Pacquiao and Marquez is unlike any other. It started out in the featherweight class (126 pounds) in 2004, criss-crossed at super featherweight (130 pounds) in 2008, made a brief stop at the catchweight of 144 pounds in 2011 before settling at welterweight (147 pounds) this year.
All three fights have been for a world title, with Marquez the defending champion in the first two and Pacquiao in the third encounter. The record books showed that Marquez could only salvage a draw in the first fight, while Pacquiao defeated the former back-to-back in their last two meetings.
But even Pacquiao is not shy to admit that he is far from being satisfied with the results. After settling for a draw in their first meeting in May 2004, Pacquiao finally humbled Marquez in March 2008, hammering out a split-decision to take the latter?s World Boxing Council super featherweight diadem. Judge Duane Ford scored the fight for Pacquiao at 115-112 but Judge Jerry Roth had Marquez winning ironically by the score of 115-112. The third and deciding judge, Tom Miller, clinched the fight for Pacquiao with a score of 114-113. Believe it or not, Pacquiao won the second fight by only one point.
The third fight last year was also razor close. Judge Robert Hoyle scored it a draw at 114-114, but Judges Dave Moretti and Glenn Trowbridge both tabbed it for Pacquiao with scores of 115-113, 116-112, respectively. Pacquiao retained the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title by a mere six-points over Marquez.
As Pacquiao puts it, he agreed to a fourth meeting for the sole purpose of settling the score.
?I want to erase the doubt of the last three fights,? he said during one of the press conferences hyping the fight. ?There?s so many people still asking if I won the fights, I think to myself, ?Something is wrong. I have to do it again.??
Predictably, Pacquiao and Marquez are treating their upcoming fourth battle as the Armageddon of their illustrious rivalry. Sounding like the vintage Pacquiao promised to knock out Marquez and make the fight as short as possible. Not be to outdone, Marquez vowed a similar ending, adding that he doesn?t want to leave the result in the hands of the judges. But will the fourth really be the last?
Pacquiao and Marquez are so perfectly matched many boxing experts believe that even if they fight ten more times, the result will be the same?close and controversial.
While Pacquiao was the heavy favorite in the last two fights, it?s a different story in the coming fourth encounter. The fight is a toss-up, with no clear favorite in mind. Pacquiao, 54-4 with 38 knockouts, is coming off a loss to American Timothy Bradley Jr. in June, his first setback since losing to Erik Morales in March 2005. While it can be said that the loss to Timothy Bradley was a rip-off considering that Pacquiao dominated the fight, it cannot be denied that the Paquiao has not been his old self since he stopped Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in November 2009. Religion and politics, and a host of other extra-curricular activities have taken their toll on Pacquiao. He has been accused of being soft, being too friendly to his adversaries. Marquez, 54-6, with 39 knockouts, has been far from stellar, too. In November 2010, just before the third fight with Pacquiao, Marquez had to pick himself up from the floor before stopping the rugged and one-dimensional Michael Katsidis. In his most recent outing, April 2012, Marquez looked pedestrian in carving out a snoozer of a decision win over Serhiy Fedchenko for the interim WBO super lightweight (140 pounds) title.
But there?s the catch: When it is Pacquiao who is in front of him, Marquez always bring out his best. Veteran trainer Emanuel Steward put it best when he said that for some reason, when the two fighters clash, Marquez is always at his best and Pacquiao is at his worst. From where this writer sits, Steward hit the nail right on the head: It is for this reason that all three fights have been close. Pacquiao made hay by recklessly lunging in and oblitering foes with his dreaded left straight. Most foes are intimidated by Pacquiao?s killer left and everytime he lunges in, all they try to do is block the blow. This is why Pacquiao gets away with his reckless lunges.
It?s different with Marquez, though. The Mexican is a very patient counterpuncher. Unlike Pacquiao?s previous foes who would just try to block his assaults, Marquez is so familiar with Pacquiao?s style that he is able to calculate the exact time when Pacquiao will dart inside. If Marquez is not nailing Pacquiao with a lead right as the latter comes in, the Mexican would sidestep the lunging Pacquiao and still catch him with a counter right. The thing with Pacquiao, he is very vulnerable to counterpunches as he tends to lose his balance when his sudden assaults inside misfire.
Pacquiao?s power, though, has been the key to his close wins. The three knockdowns he scored in the first fight with Marquez should have given him a split-decision win if only Judge Burt Clements reflected the third knockdown in his scorecard. The knockdown Pacquiao scored in the second fight proved critical as it gave him the one-point edge he needed to beat Marquez.
Between Marquez and Pacquiao, it is the Filipino?s fists that pack the wallop. The problem for Pacquiao, however, is finding his rhythm against Marquez. Instead of cutting the ring, Pacquiao tends to just follow Marquez looking to find the opening to suddenly bolt his way inside. This all the more makes Pacquiao susceptible to counterpunches.
While Marquez has promised to go for a knockout in the fourth fight, this scenario is unlikely. It?s difficult to fathom Marquez going out of his counterpunching cocoon and suddenly adopting the mindset of a gunslinger. The Mexican?s counterpunching ability is so effective against Pacquiao that if there is anyone who needs to change his approach, it is Pacquiao.
Pacquiao has promised to bring out the old best in him in December. For his own sake, let?s hope it?s not an empty promise. A gung-ho, take-no-prisoners Pacquiao is the only one fully capable of beating up Marquez. While Marquez needs to only stick to his proven style, Pacquiao needs to go back to the punching phenom boxing fans used to idolize. In his prime, Pacquiao threw punches by the truckload, and even in the most unimaginable angle. A counterpuncher is only effective if he can slow down the pace and force his adversary to telegraph his punches. This allows the counterpuncher to read his foe?s offensive pattern and, well, counter efficiently. If Pacquiao can vary his offfense and keep his aggressiveness at a high-octane level, Marquez will have a harder time to figure out the Pacman. Boxing fans only need to recall what Pacquiao did in the first round of the first fight with Marquez. He came out with both guns blazing. Pacquiao dictated the tempo and Marquez was forced to stand up and fight. The Mexican nearly paid for it as he kissed the floor three times. If Pacquiao can recapture this precise form he showed in the opening round of the 2004 fight, Marquez will have to dig deeper to salvage a win.
For Pacquiao, it?s all about turning back the clock. For Marquez, it?s now or never. The clock is ticking for both men and this could only mean that the fourth meeting may be one for the ages.
Let?s just hope that the rivalry will finally come to a close. A fifth meeting may be a bitter pill to swallow for boxing fans. One too many servings often leads to indigestion.
