Manny Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3: Controversial Victory Seals 2012 Floyd Mayweather Super Fight?
Manny Pacquiao scrapped to a tight points victory over Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in a bout that will do little to settle the battle between the two legendary fighters.
Pacquiao again won a majority decision, and the dispute in the aftermath was all too familiar; mirroring the last bout between the two where Pacquiao again won via a controversial points decision.
Marquez was left fuming again at the result as he took Pacquiao to the limit again before a sell-out crowd. Pacquiao needed to win the final round on two scorecards to secure the points win, and he got it despite the third scorecard scoring the same round in favor of Marquez.
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One ringside judge scored the bout a 114-114 draw, while two others gave Pacquiao the victory by 115-113 and 116-112.
Following the result Pacquiao said, “My fans are very happy because they thought I won.”
A disgusted Marquez, however, stormed out of the ring once the result was announced. A majority of fans in the arena were equally as furious and threw bottles and cans as boos erupted at the controversial decision.
Marquez later said, “This was the second robbery and this one was the worst. We won with clearer punches.”
The previous two bouts between the two fighters resulted in a draw, followed by a tight and equally controversial points victory for Pacquiao. Many commentators were hoping for a definitive result in this third clash between the pair, however, the Pacquiao vs. Marquez matchup, as intriguing as it is, still leaves a final satisfying conclusion unresolved.
The Pacquiao-Marquez match-up is one of the most-interesting in the current boxing world. Their first fight seven years ago saw them fight at 125 pounds, and resulted in a perfect draw. In 2008 the pair met again, that time at 130 pounds, which resulted in a win for Pacquiao, albeit controversial. This time the fighters came together at a much heavier 144 pounds, but yielded the same result as previously.
"It's hard when you're fighting your rival and the three judges, too," Márquez said.
Match stats reveal that Pacquiao landed 176 of 578 punches thrown, compared to Marquez’s 138 from 436. In addition, Pacquiao was recorded as landing 117 power punches, compared to Marquez’s 100.
The victory is a 15th-in-a-row for Pacquiao, and many are now looking with anticipation towards next year and a potential match-up with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
