Pacman won. Marquez lost. But not without raising much controversy – just like before.
As Pacquiao’s win was being announced, the crowd booed, very few cheered and some threw cans and bottles. It was not the victory anyone had in mind. Watching the fight, it did seem as if Marquez was winning. As if he had the upper hand. But then he started embracing Pacman. He appeared to stagger; appeared to lose balance and focus. I thought Manny would be able to knock him out.
But Marquez held his ground. They kept throwing punches at each other right up to the end of the 12th round. I thought it would be a draw. Worse, that indeed Marquez would win. But in the end, 2 of the judges favored Pacman while 1 favored a draw. And so Manny won – yet again. He got to keep his title; his reputation as the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer.
But some questioned the judges decision. Even Filipino boxing experts were in doubt of Pacquiao’s win and felt Marquez should have won. They claimed it was not Manny at his best. That he need to do some soul searching and determine if he really wanted to be a boxer (or perhaps focus on more on his other careers).
Yet still, many argue that it was a fight Manny deserved to win. Indeed as the one being challenged, the burden of a knock out fell in Marquez’s shoulder. The responsibility of being aggressive was that of Marquez’s. Pacman was merely defending his title. It was Dinamita who wanted to strip him of it. So naturally, he should be the one to do all the aggressive moves. But though aggressive, I still think much is to be desired from Marquez if he really wanted to win over Pacman.
So in the end, amid all the controversy, I still believe that Manny is the rightful winner. And that for someone to really win over him, he has to at least knock him off in one form or another.
Kudos Pacman! Pride once more to the Filipino Nation!
Related articles
- Manny Pacquiao retains WBO welterweight title with controversial points victory over Juan Manuel Marquez (telegraph.co.uk)
- Manny Pacquiao Defeats Juan Manuel Marquez In Controversial Fight Decision (huffingtonpost.com)
- Pacquiao wins by majority decision over Marquez (cnn.com)
