Manny Pacquiao Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

The Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez bouts have been wrought with questions and doubts from both camps. If you have not seen the fights, here is a quick review of what transpired in these slugfest. Let’s relive the bouts between these two spectacular fighters.

It’s interesting how these two fighters have been at it for the past for bouts. It all started with their first encounter in May 8, 2004 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Fresh out of a boxing match against Barrera, The Filipino boxing champion challenged Juan Manuel Marquez who had both the WBA and IBF Featherweight belts.

Just in the first round, Pacquiao showed his aggressive and explosive power by knocking down his opponent 3 times. But the resilience of Marquez in the face of a barrage of punches is astounding. The counterpunching style of Marquez stopped his opponent’s onslaught. The 12-round slugfest ended with a split decision which both camps questioned. The score cards read 115-110: Marquez, 115-110: Pacquiao, 113-113: draw.

The draw that resulted in the first match made both camps uneasy. Even the fans wanted to know who is the better boxer. So on March 15, 2008, a rematch between these fighters was set. Dubbed, “Unfinished Business” the fight took place at the Mandalay Bay resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

It was a close fight with both boxers giving their best. In spite of the brave and aggressive efforts of Juan Manuel Marquez, the fighter from the Philippines was declared the victor. The pivotal moment was when Pacquiao released a left hook that sent Marquez hugging the floor. The fight concluded with the following scores: 115-112 (Pacquiao), 115 -112 (Marquez), 114-113 (Pacquiao).

On this night, Manny Pacquiao brought home the WBC Super Featherweight as well as The Ring Super Featherweight belts. Likewise, the Filipino fighter made history by being the first Asian to win in 4 world titles in 4 divisions. When asked about a rematch, the winner said, "I don't think so. This business is over."

Although Manny did not want a rematch after his second encounter with Marquez, a third match was set on November 12, 2011. At stake was the WBO Welterweight title. The weight was 144 pounds. The venue was MGM Grand Las Vegas, the same place where they first exchanged punches.

The rematch concluded with the Filipino fighter winning by majority decision. The judges’ scores were 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112. The announcement of the winner resulted in an uproar from the spectators. Statistics however, confirmed that the Filipino Boxer through more punches than his opponent: 176 vs. 138. Likewise, Manny landed more power punches than Juan manual: 117 vs. 100.

The latest installment to the Pacquiao – Marquez ended with an upset especially for the Filipino fans. On December 8, 2012 at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Marquez floored Pacquiao with a right punch to the jaw on the 6^th round with only 1 second remaining. Although this was a non-title bout, Manny had to let go of his WBO “Champion of the Decade Belt”.

The fight started with the Filipino fighter dominating the ring. But his aggressive streak was halted by a right from Marquez sending him down. On the 5^th round, the Filipno retaliated by sending his opponent down with a straight left. On the 6^th round, Manny dominated the fight landing numerous hard blows. He even had Marquez on the ropes. As the seconds counted down, Marquez shot a short but powerful right hand that connected This sent the Filipino boxer face first on the canvass.

After a draw and two defeats, Marquez came back with a vengeance. The KO was a definitive win for Marquez. No scorecards to scrutinize and no judges to questions.

As fighters, their road met 4 times. Moreover, each one gave his all to be declared the victor. Whether there is a 5^th match or not, both have already proven that they are great boxers.

Here are some questions I'd like you to answer:

1. Who do you want Pacquiao to fight next?
2. Who do you want Marquez to fight next?
3. Do you want to se a Pacquiao Vs. Marquez 5?