No way Marquez gets a close decision, not with a Money Mayweather fight hanging out there for Manny Pacquiao. Marquez would have to KO Manny or win a clear decision.
Guess who said that?
It was yours truly. Not saying that I am Nostradamus but I was using common sense. You hear the phrase a lot…
“You have to take the belt from the Champion.”
The phrase should be…..
“You have to take the belt if there is a $500 million promotion at stake.”
The official scores were 114-114, 115-113 Pacquiao and 116-112 Pacquiao. I scored it at ringside 115-113 for Marquez.
Pacquiao threw more punches and landed more punches. Marquez had slightly higher connect % and Manny connected with a few more power punches.
On paper it would justify the scoring (the 116-112 score seems off, but I have seen worse), but boxing isn’t about paper and numbers.
It is about rounds.
The rounds were very close, but Marquez in my mind had more CLEAR rounds won than Pacquiao, but the problem is that perception is everything.
Pacquiao is perceived to be a killer and he was throwing punches, so I can see how some of the swing rounds would go to him.
The analogy I use this.
Two equally beautiful woman are available to you, but one you have randomly seen on TV before and one you haven’t you are going to go with the one you seen before.
No one gave Marquez a shot and his performance proved that when it comes to Pacquiao he is his equal. The fight was there for the taking for Marquez and in the last 3 rounds he made a calculated decision.
He could have went all out or he could have keep being technically brilliant hoping the judges would make the proper call, he chose the latter and unfortunately it cost him.
Between the three judges in those 9 combined scores for the last three rounds Marquez only won 3, Pacquiao 6. Take away the 116-112 score Pacquiao won by a combined 2 points on the other two scorecards.
You can do the math.
This was not a pretty victory for Manny Pacquiao and a little of the luster has been taken off his star. His team did not speak like winners at the press conference. Many people myself include will always think in their three fight Marquez got the better of him (I believe Marquez won the last two).
People are not going to except anymore Mosley & Clottey type of fights from Pacquiao, those days are over. There is one fight and one fight only…………………