Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sports

Op-Ed: Marquez’ reason for declining 5th fight with Pacquiao misleading

Marquez‘ claim that Pacquiao has not won a single bout in their four-fight series is spurious because on record Pacquiao has won two of the four fights, one in 2008 and the other in 2011. The first fight in 2004 was a draw while the fourth fight went to Marquez.

There have been widespread public clamor for a fifth fight in the wake of Marquez’ devastating knockout win over Pacquiao in 2012.

Many believed that Pacquiao deserves another fight because he was leading on all judges scorecards when Pacquiao, with his defenses down, walked into Marquez’ overhead right for a stunning knockout win with less than a second before the end of the sixth round.

While Marquez had recently hinted that he might consider a fifth fight provided the purse demand is met, now he is again saying that his decision is not about money but more about honor and pride for his country.

“For what [reason would I fight him again]? Right now we’ve won all four [fights]. The first was close, the second was close, I felt the third was wide [in my favor] and then we knocked him out. [If we’d fight again], we’d go in there like we did in the third fight, where we won wide, and they’d give him the decision. I don’t want to make the mistake of wondering afterwards why I accepted that fight. This is not about money, it’s a matter of honor and pride for my country,” Marquez said.

What the ordinary fans do not understand about Marquez’ claim that he won all four fights is the fact that his statement is contrary to the official records of the fights which were based on judges scorecards.

In 2004, Marquez and Pacquaio fought to a draw based on official records. Marquez said he actually won that first fight despite having been knocked down three times in the opening round. While he seemed to have outboxed Pacquiao in the succeeeding rounds, two judges had the same score of 115-110 with the one favoring Pacquiao and the other favoring Marquez. The third judge scored it even at 113-113 for a draw verdict.

The first fight should have been won by Pacquiao because the third judge who scored the fight 113-113 admitted later that he made an error on the scorecards because he scored the first round (with three knockdowns by Pacquiao) 10-7 instead of 10-6 for the standard three knockdown in a round.

Manny Pacquiao with trainer Freddie Roach

Manny Pacquiao with trainer Freddie Roach
Manny Pacquiao FB

The 2008 fight saw Pacquiao taking away Marquez’ super featherweight title with a split decision verdict in favor of Pacquiao following his third round knockdown of Marquez which proved to be the deciding point as the succeeding rounds were fought almost evenly.

In 2011, Pacquiao won a majority decision over Marquez in the 147 pound welterweight limit. Marquez walked out after hearing the decision favoring Pacquiao was announced in protest of the judges verdict.

The only clear and legitimate victory that Marquez could claim was his knockout win against Pacquiao in 2012. To claim that he won all four fights is misleading and contradicts the official record of the four-fight series.

Certainly, Marquez’ claim of victory on all four fights is based only on his own judgement and not those of the official judges.

Written By

You may also like:

Social Media

Wanna buy some ignorance? You’re in luck.

Life

Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest often suggest travel destinations based on your likes and viewing habits.

Business

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier was reviewing recent incidents and would redouble safety initiatives as needed - Copyright AFP Logan CyrusUnited...

World

US President Joe Biden speaks during a reception honoring Women's History Month at the White House - Copyright AFP Brendan SMIALOWSKIDanny KEMPUS President Joe...