First I want to go on record as stating that I had Marquez winning the fight by a score of 115-113. It was a closely contested battle between two of the games best but I just think Marquez landed the cleaner, harder blows. I am not disputing the outcome as it could have gone either way; I am just stating that on my very unofficial scorecard I had Marquez the victor. Some observations of the fight as I saw it: Pacquiao clearly looked and fought way too tentatively. For whatever reason, the Pacman seemed too content to try and outbox Marquez, a feat that few could ever hope to accomplish. Too often Manny failed to pull the trigger on his powerful left hand and while I can understand being cautions given Marquezs skill, I dont think his battle weary legs would be able to hold up to a full Pacquiao assault. Marquez fought a great fight. He seemed to get into Pacquiaos head a bit with his pinpoint accurate shots and debilitating body shots that had me wincing as they landed. Again, I feel that Marquez did enough to earn the victory but I am not upset with the outcome. Pacquiao should have put his foot on the gas in the third after he dropped Marquez. While some praised Mannys maturity in not rushing in for the kill, I believe Marquez was on shaky legs and could have been stopped if Pacquiao had simply let his hands go. Its amazing the devotion Pacquiaos fans display. In the bar I was watching the fight in at least half of the patrons were of Filipino decent. Most were not really boxing fans but if Pacquiao is fighting then they will be there. I will say that it made for some nice harmless ribbing between the Filipino and Mexican patrons that served to sort of replicate the atmosphere inside the MGM.
The undercard is better left unsaid as it severely lacked any noteworthy action. Though I have to say that Abner Mares is going to be a champion someday soon, count on it. David Diaz is a good strong fighter and a respectable champion. With that being said I clearly favor Pacquiao over him if the two should meet this summer as is being rumored. And one final though in closing: Few fighters in all of boxings rich and storied history bring out such unbridled devotion and adulation quite like Manny Pacquiao. In fact with the lone exception of Muhammad Ali no other fighter comes to mind who carries with his the hopes and dreams of millions of people into the squared circle. Its brazenly evident in blogger extraordinaire Tims recent post where his pick of a Marquez victory was met with a flurry of comments decrying biased opinions and questioning of his journalistic integrity. To that I say, people this is a blog, opinions are the driving force here, know that going in. Also, special thanks go to the throng of Pacmaniacs who visited Ring Report and posted their thoughts and opinions in thoughtful argument. You keep reading and well keep posting.
For what it’s worth, this video cracks me up…
Pacquiao Does It Again – Thoughts from the Fight
Posted by Tim Starks on Mar 17, 2008 03:24
