Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Pacquiao-Marquez III: Clash Creates Controversy

















The third bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez was the kind of fight that had everyone talking beforehand and everyone talking afterward. Let us get everyone talking, then, with writers supplying a form of oral history:

Joe Maxse, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: The judges have spoken, but not many in the crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday night wanted to hear what they had to say.

Ron Borges, The Sweet Science: After Glenn Trowbridge and Dave Moretti concluded Pacquiao had defeated his arch nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Robert Hoyle saw it as no better than a second draw in three meetings between them, the sold out crowd of 16,383 began to boo lustily, reaching a crescendo that drowned out Pacquiao’s post-fight words until he finally left the ring with a sad look of embarrassment on on his face.

Kieran Mulvaney, ESPN.com: There were times on Saturday when Pacquiao looked befuddled, as though he had forgotten everything that trainer Freddie Roach taught him. For all the talk that Pacquiao was the much-improved fighter, it looked on occasion as though Marquez was the one who had adapted better.

Santos A. Perez, Miami Herald: Manny Pacquiao may have overwhelmed larger foes during the past three years, but familiar nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez remains the proverbial thorn inside his shoe. Not given favorable odds to win, Marquez was on the verge of finally defeating Pacquiao in Marquez’s third bout against Pacquiao late Saturday in Las Vegas. Marquez adeptly counterpunched and landed crisp lead shots that may have finally been sufficient to defeat Pacquiao after two previous unsuccessful tries.

Bryan Armen Graham, Sports Illustrated: Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs), a 7-to-1 underdog who'd appeared vastly out of his depth in his only previous fight above lightweight, looked better than anyone expected from the opening bell, staying away from Pacquiao's power in the early rounds and peppering him with well-timed counterpunches. The Filipino champion had trouble getting inside and landing shots, finding his hyperkinetic flurries thwarted regardless of his tack or pace. Marquez even managed to rock Pacquiao several times, most notably by gigantic right hands in the fourth, fifth and seventh.

During those the middle rounds Pacquiao was as apprehensive as he's looked in years, wary of the counters, as confounded by the Marquez riddle as he was when they met at featherweight in 2004 and super featherweight in '08. (They fought Saturday at a catchweight of 144, or 14 pounds above their most recent fight.) He was doing enough to bank a few rounds and keep the Mexican challenger from running out too far ahead, but it was clear the more disciplined Marquez was in control. After nine rounds, the fight was there for Marquez to take.

And then he took his foot off the gas.

Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com:Then came the 12th and final round, where Marquez did anything but seal the deal. Of all points in the fight where he could’ve slowed down, he chose to pick the point where the fight was very much on the table on at least two of the three judges’ scorecards. Pacquiao was the much busier of the two, even if not very many punches were scoring. Enough left hands did score, however, for Pacquiao to take the frame on two of the three judges’ scorecards.

Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated: What Marquez proved is that if you are a brilliant counterpuncher, if you have excellent footwork and if you come into the ring without the slightest trace of fear of Pacquiao, you can beat him. Think about it: Pacquiao and Marquez have fought 36 rounds now and, with the exception of one or two, every one of them has been close. History will officially record that Pacquiao won two of those three fights but many will say that Marquez deserved to win all three of them.

David P. Greisman, BoxingScene.com: It's impossible to settle a score when the scores don't settle anything.

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