Pacquiao fought through bloody eye to snare Marquez’s title
By Roy Luarca
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:54:00 03/16/2008
Filed Under: Sport, Boxing
LAS VEGAS -- The blinks nearly did Manny Pacquiao in.
Unable to see out of his right eye because of blood dripping from a cut above it, Pacquiao leaned on instinct and heart to guide him through a testy eighth round against Juan Manuel Marquez.
He survived the challenge, regaining the tempo in the late rounds to wrest the Mexican’s World Boxing Council super featherweight crown by way of a split decision Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila) at the Events Center of the Mandalay bay here.
For a while, Filipinos in the big crowd fell silent when it was announced that judge Jerry Roth scored it 115-112 for Marquez. They saw hope when judge Duane Ford gave the fight to Pacqiao, 115-112, and then erupted in celebration when Tom Miller delivered the clincher, 114-113.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer saw it 114-113 for Pacquiao.
The former flyweight and featherweight champion thus became the first Asian to hold three world crowns in three different divisions.
Pacquiao’s victory was as close as their first fight in May 2004, when Marquez recovered from three first-round knockdowns to salvage a draw.
This time, Pacquiao floored Marquez only once, connecting with a left straight to the chin in the third round.
But again, the Mexican fought back, had Pacquiao in trouble in the eighth and later averred that he was again robbed of victory in the bloody bout that sent both warriors to their doctors immediately after the match.
It was so close that as soon as the final bell sounded, both fighters were carried by their handlers, certain of victory.
In the end, the verdict went Pacquiao’s way, sort of a payback for a judge’s scoring error that denied him a victory in their first encounter.
After contesting the result, the Marquez camp is now asking for a rematch, but is unlikely to get it at the moment as Pacquiao is bent on climbing to the lightweight division, where he may challenge WBC champion David Diaz.
Pacquiao, who also staggered Marquez in the fourth, raised his record to 46 wins, 36 by knockout, against three losses and two draws.
Marquez, who surprised Pacquiao with new movements and stronger punches, fell to 48-4-1 with 38 knockouts.
In conquering Marquez, Pacquiao buttressed his reputation as the Mexican Assassin, having also mastered future Hall-of-Famers Erik Morales (twice in three bouts) and Marco Antonio Barrera (twice) and other top-notch Mexican fighters like Oscar Larios, Hector Velasquez and Jorge Solis.
The Filipino ring icon’s two superficial cuts required 10 stitches to close, according to Dr. Jeffrey Ross, who sewed him up after the match.
Marquez, despite being examined by the ring physician late in the seventh round, got only eight stitches and made an appearance at the press conference before Pacquiao arrived.
There, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions that handles Marquez’s career, made a $6-million offer for a Pacquiao-Marquez III, which Bob Arum, president and CEO of Top Rank, refused to bite.
Showing up in dark shades later, Pacquiao thanked God, the Filipino people and even the Marquez camp for giving him a tough fight.
“He (Marquez) was a lot better, with move improvements and is a better counter puncher,” said Pacquiao, admitting that he got worried in the eighth as he could hardly see with blood dripping on his eyes.
“But I know I could handle his power so I never thought of quitting. It’s about heart, brave heart.”
Marquez also showed a lot of heart in getting up from that knockdown. And statistically, he showed more than Pacquiao did. Marquez landed more punches with 171 to Pacquiao’s 157. He also delivered more power punches with 130 against Pacquiao’s 114.
But the knockdown made the difference in the closely scored match as it made a lasting impression on the judges. Pacquiao’s strong performance in the 10th and 11th rounds also helped his cause.
The bloody ending was in sharp contrast to the festive atmosphere, characterized by chants of “Manny, Manny” and “Mexico, Mexico,” before the bout that drew 11,061 paying fans.
Cris Aquino carried the Philippine flag while Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia carried Pacquiao’s WBC international super featherweight belt into the ring.
Ciara Sotto sang the Philippine national anthem while Black Eyed Peas member Allan Pineda, aka Apl.d.ap delivered a popular rap song while Pacquiao made his entrance in the arena. Pacquiao, wearing his trademark cloak, rushed to a corner immediately after ascending the ring and knelt to whisper a prayer.
His prayers may have been answered as aside from the estimated revenues of $8 million from PPV (pay-per-view) earnings, gate receipts and the purse, he stands to earn more in the coming days in terms of more endorsements and appearances.
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