Inside the ring, Juan Manuel Márquez makes many believe that he is better than Manny Pacquiao. Outside of that, the pound-for-pound king keeps knocking him out.
The two ringside gladiators dueled inside the ring twice, once in 2004 and once in 2008. Boxing fans, judging from forum threads and blog comments, not to mention what some boxing writers say boxing, prefer a third in 2011. Marquez and his friends have also launched an intense publicity war, apparently with the goal of securing a Pacquiao trilogy. Although Marquez appears to be in the mix for Pacquiao’s future ringmates, there are signs everywhere that suggest there’s no way he’s going to win that war. Here are some of them.
one the boxer
Marquez drew no more than 5,000 paying fans live to his fight against Micheal Katsidis last week. Another fighter in that mix, Shane Mosley, had shown better ticket sales in his previous fights. Mosley may have been dismissed by some boxing pundits as wanting, judging from his last two performances, in the ability to deliver quality boxing. The fact remains that more paying fans have been flocking to Mosley than Marquez.
A point of contention: Is it the quality of a fight that sells or is it the prize money in professional boxing that promotes the quality? Obviously, wrestling fans can answer the first one. They pay for the brand; if they buy Toyota or Ford, for example, they know they are buying quality. If they buy a Pacquiao ticket, they know they are buying quality boxing. (Side note: On the Nov. 13 Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard, Mike Jones gave everything he had in the second round against Jesus Soto-Karass. It was a record-setting effort. they give up!” is also a mark. .) The boxers themselves, on the other hand, can answer the second question. Professional boxers, we can add, sweat and bleed (some die) for the prize. A boxer who has no interest in the prize is like a businessman who has no business; he is like a politician who has no seat.
That’s where we find Pacquiao, and all professional boxers like him. He won’t settle for less than first prize. He will not settle for Marquez.
Two, proxy war
Ties between Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Marquez, and Bob Arum’s Top Rank, which promotes Pacquiao, have recently gone from hostile to unpleasant.
In 2001, no major American promoters found commercial value in the small fighter from the Philippines, except for Murad Muhammad. In 2003, Pacquiao beat Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera, beating then-undefeated Erik Morales and Naseem Hamed, and everyone wanted a piece of Pacquiao. Shelly Finkel finally snatched Pacquiao from Murad’s predatory jaws. In January 2006, Pacquiao avenged his loss to Morales (another Mexican legend) and American promoters pushed each other not just to get a piece of Pacquiao, but to make sure he didn’t slip out of the pens.
Golden Boy thought they had Pacquiao locked up, only to find that Top Rank, after legal process and a court settlement, had the lion’s share of the trap. Since then, Golden Boy and Top Rank became adversaries because of one man. They snarled at each other every time they faced each other, from the ring to the negotiating table to the courtroom.
When Marquez teamed up with Golden Boy in 2006, Golden Boy and Top Rank were still talking. He probably had no idea that any Pacquiao-Marquez matchup from then on would also turn into a Golden Boy-Top Rank proxy war. In fact, after 4 years of begging, he got the rematch he wanted with Pacquiao. That might have been the high point of civility between the two camps. He has been going downhill since 2008.
The other day, Arum just called Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy, “an idiot.” De la Hoya responded by suggesting that Arum has brought boxing, and boxers, closer to extinction. “Thank you my people, boxing is suffering and no fights are being made because of you,” he complained on Twitter.
Maybe Shane Mosley has read the writing on the wall (Scheafer suggests he read his contract instead). He stated that he has severed ties with Golden Boy and, in fact, sent the message to his class that the other side is where the money is. While this may represent nothing more than a shift in allegiance from friends to oneself, it should be enough to please Arum and win Pacquiao’s coveted prize. Anything that hurts the enemy is welcome.
So what gives? Excellent boxing from Marquez. Mosley’s move on Foxy’s career.
Three, sense of culture
The call for a Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy echoed in 2008, after both fighters successfully climbed a higher division from super featherweight to lightweight. Now, as Pacquiao searches for the second-best opponent given Floyd Mayweather’s alleged unavailability, that call has reached crescendo levels. It’s not just that Pacquiao’s heist on his opponents has become too hackneyed to inspire a yearning for variety, so to speak; It’s also because the protests over the outcome of two previous fights have yet to die down.
In the first fight, Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round. Mark got up every time he went downstairs. He rallied in the later rounds to close out the fight, so close that fans remain divided to this day as to who won that fight. Even the three judges who ruled the official result (a tie) differed in their score: John Stewart saw it 115-110 in favor of Pacquiao. Guy Jutras had it the other way around, 115-110, for Marquez. Burt A. Clements even scored at 113-113 (he eventually admitted he got his count wrong, crediting Pacquiao with 5 points instead of 6 for the 3 knockdowns he scored in round 1, and which should otherwise lead to a final score of 114 -113 and Pacquiao majority victory).
In the second bout, Pacquiao dropped Marquez once again (in the third round). As in the first fight, Mark recovered. The fight was complete and the result was decided once again by the three judges: Duane Ford, 115-112-Pacquiao; Jerry Roth, 115-112-Marquez; Tom Miller, 114-113-Pacquiao. Official records labeled Pacquiao the winner of the second fight by split decision. However, none of these meant that everyone agreed with what the records say.
In a premeditated and obviously publicity-driven salvo, Marquez and his team wore T-shirts emblazoned with “Marquez beat Pacquiao twice” minutes after he punched Micheal Katsidis on November 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. De La Hoya echoed what the jerseys said, put audio on it and went further: “Pacquiao forces his opponents, including me, to lose weight and leave everything on the scale.”
De La Hoya lamented a condition recently raised by Team Pacquiao for Pacquiao’s next fight: 147 pounds, no catchweight, no exceptions. “One more proof that they are avoiding me,” says Márquez.
Three months after Pacquiao stole the super featherweight crown from Marquez in their 2008 rematch and an eternity of the latter’s plea for a trilogy, Pacquiao traveled north and picked up David Diaz’s lightweight belt along the way. . Marquez suspected it was Pacquiao’s way of avoiding it; so he set out to run after Joel Casamayor’s lightweight title and, after winning it, he put himself in a position to forever taunt Pacquiao into accepting his standing invite for another ring date.
Two years ago, Marquez said, “I will fight Pacquiao anywhere and in any weight division.”
A month after the Pacquiao-Márquez rematch, Márquez visited the Philippines, ostensibly to photograph a product promotion. It was also an opportunity for him to face Pacquiao outside the ring, and he wasted no time taunting the Filipino. “Get out a pen and paper. Let’s sign the contract now,” he challenged Pacquiao in front of the television cameras. Pacquiao’s Filipino responded with a smile. Marquez probably didn’t know it, but being hospitable to guests is an almost sacrosanct culture in the Philippines. Similarly, no visitor can abuse it.
It was almost unthinkable to sell a product that has been touched by someone who freely applies candor to the point of being arrogant. Mark lost his job as a sponsor, but he may have earned Pacquiao’s eternal mockery for him.
Two years after the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch, boxing history has been written and rewritten, but Marquez’s dream for three never died. In an incredible streak that may never be matched, Pacquiao has outclassed opposition in the higher divisions. In two years, Pacquiao crushed bigger opponents and won titles in the lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and super welterweight divisions. Pacquiao became the only boxer to win world titles in 7 different weight divisions. After annexing his eighth title at the expense of Antonio Margarito last November, Pacquiao has also become the only fighter to break Pacquiao’s record.
It seemed that Marquez couldn’t keep up with Pacquiao. He tried to break into welterweight against Mayweather. Failure. But he has been winning elsewhere. He kept his dream alive.
In the press conference that followed Pacquiao’s TKO victory over Miguel Cotto in 2009, Pacquiao was asked how he rated himself given his record-breaking performance. He replied, “I’m just an ordinary fighter.”
In the press conference that followed Marquez’s TKO victory over Katsidis last week, Marquez didn’t need to be asked any questions. The world saw what he wrote: Marquez beat the ordinary fighter twice.
Pacquiao and Marquez are two opposing styles inside and outside the ring. Marquez gives Pacquiao trouble both inside and outside the ring. Unfortunately for Marquez, it has become too difficult for him to dream up and land that third cash-rich fight with the king. Until the day he is removed from this throne, neither Golden Boy nor Marquez will be able to decide which dreams will see the light of day.
Three dreamers are currently in a state of happiness: in addition to Marquez and Mosley, Andre Berto is. A few days ago, Arum said that he will soon speak with Pacquiao to choose the lucky one. Arum also offered to clarify that in the grand scheme of things, “I report. He decides.”
I have offered two guesses while we wait for “The Decision.” One, Mosley did something to please Arum. Two, Marquez has done his best to displease the Highness of him, the ordinary fighter.