Mixed opinions

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

WE saw the fight and we all know how our compatriot and world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao won via a majority decision over his long-time nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico to retain his World Boxing Organization diadem. The verdict of the two judges (116-112 and 115-113) created quite a stir in the world that even many of our countrymen who are Pacquiao’s fans were convinced that Marquez won this time, their third encounter.
My friend Johnny Valencia, a die-hard boxing buff, couldn’t hide his emotion and immediately texted me seconds after the verdict was announced to say Marquez was robbed of victory and elaborated on his analysis. Soon after, my son Moses said the same, and then PUNCH colleague Jun Velasco expressed a similar sentiment. Fourth was my balae, Manuel Rapayrapay, who called from Guam to say the same thing. My reply to them was, “I don’t think so”, because my personal scoring says 116-113 for Pacquiao. Bothered by my conscience because Marquez is a friend of mine and not fully convinced with my score, I watched the replay twice and finally I scored it 115-114, still for Pacquiao, or at least a draw.

I switched from TV to radio to solicit some views from other people and I heard over DZBB radio from my compadre, the well-known boxing analyst Recah Trinidad, as well as sports columnist Ronnie Nathanielz and television commentator Atty. Ed Tolentino concurring that the counter-puncher virtuoso Marquez was the clear winner. But I just shrugged all that off and told some of my friends that it’s their opinion and they’re entitled to it. That’s democracy. JunV explained that the Pacquiao he watched last November 13 was not the usual Pacquiao he used to know. There were no movements from side-to-side that he used to do, only forward and backward budges unlike when he demolished David Diaz, Oscar de la Hoya, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley. JunV is right. We saw that, too. And for the record, this was the first time that Pacquiao was rudely booed by the crowd.

I believe one of the reasons why Pacman was not at his best during that bout was (probably) because he was mentally distracted by his reported big quarrel with wife Jinkee two days before the clash. That was reported by PDI sports columnist Beth Celis in her article dated November 13 and the Philippine Star quoted Pacman’s former opponent Erik Morales days after that hotly-debated fight. (Morales is the only Mexican to beat Pacquiao but Pacquiao avenged that defeat twice in a convincing fashion, both through knockouts).

In the affirmative side, my cousin Alexander Aquino opined that the left handed-boxer was the clear victor. This was echoed by Engr. Rodolfo Dion, a boxing aficionado and an admirer of Pacquiao. Like Aquino, Dion said Pacquiao dictated the tempo of the bout and delivered more ‘telling’ blows than the Mexican and that perhaps could have been the big factor why the two judges rendered the nod to Pacman.

“If you are the challenger and really motivated to seize the crown from the champion, you should be aggressive most of the time and only backpedal if it’s necessary to capture the mind of the judges. But Marquez did not do it, I surmised maybe because of fear,” said Dion, the head of the second engineering district in the province.

Talks are rife that a fourth battle is in the offing perhaps sometime May next year per Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter and the czar of Top Rank Promotions. He thinks it will be another blockbuster and a bankable project.

What for? Are we sure that the doubts that remain will be erased if the fourth bout pushes through? I don’t think so. Because supposing it ends again in a close and controversial decision, a draw or a Marquez win, will we ask for yet another one, a fifth encounter? I believe it will most likely happen again because the two protagonists are evenly matched. The best that Arum can do, which I believe would be very a marketable mission, is to match Pacquiao against the blabbermouth Floyd Mayweather Jr. to determine once and for all who’s the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. Latest report said Mayweather is now the new pound-for-pound king, dislodging Pacquiao. Pacman is now ranked second, according to ESPN Sports last Thursday.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways are My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. ISAIAH 55: 7-9 

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