For
thirty-six rounds, two boxers had fought to a virtual standstill. One had won
more rounds, the other had more knockdowns, both thought they had won each of
the three fights and in the end, the judges had their say. Last night though,
there was no need for judges and no need for even a ten count.
It’s
not every day an album, a movie, a book or a boxing fight live up to the hype.
You can see countless fights from Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins, Miguel
Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya to know what it feels like to pay for a fight that
wasn’t worth its price. Last night, everyone not only got their money’s worth;
they saw history made in one of the greatest boxing rivalries of all time.
Gatti
Vs. Ward, Ali Vs. Frazier, Barrera Vs. Morales, Leonard Vs. Durán... if you hadn’t done so already, add Pacquiao Vs. Márquez to that list. After three epic fights, the
grudge match took an incredible turn on the delivery of a looping right hand
that dropped Manny Pacquiao in the third round, the first legitimate knockdown I had ever seen. Like the true champion that he is, Manny got up,
fought back, survived the round, dropped Márquez in the fifth and was on his
way to put the matter to rest in this rivalry when in the last second of the 42nd round between these two guys, Juan Manuel Márquez landed a counter right hand
that floored Manny Pacquiao not for 10 seconds, but for almost two minutes.
This
was a back and forth affair that ended explosively and though Manny got KOd,
this fight could have gone either way. From the opening bell, it was clear this
wouldn’t be last year’s chess match; this would be a fight between speed and
skill, power vs. power, orthodox vs. southpaw, Philippines vs. Mexico. First
two rounds were Manny’s, 3rd round Márquez knocked Pacquiao down with a right,
so it was all even. Round 4 was for Márquez, Round 5 Manny got a knockdown
and won the round and round 6 was back and forth high intensity firepower
from both sides and Manny was getting the best out of the exchanges until
Márquez landed the aforementioned right hand.
It
was electrifying, it was incredible, it was the best fight of the year, it was
what boxing needed. This was no strategic chess match... this was boxing at its
finest. Two world-class elite boxers put everything on the line and were not in
the mood to leave anything up to the judges.
It
was eight years ago when I saw a fight between a young Philippino guy who
seemed as if he had Popeye’s biceps for calves, facing off against a Mexican
boxer puncher I’d never seen before. First round, the Philippino won me over
for his power, his speed and for knocking down the Mexican three times. With a
broken nose, the fighter on the receiving end of this onslaught got up, lost
the second round and then pulled off the comeback of a lifetime, getting a draw
and winning me over as a fan for life. It’s been eight years, four fights and
42 rounds. It’s been as even as you can imagine. They know each other as only
fighters with this type of rivalry can know each other. Pacquiao has five
knockdowns and two victories, but Márquez has the KO and the biggest win between them both.
Leading up to this fight, people were asking if we needed to see a fourth fight between these guys. After last night, the answer was a resounding yes. No
fouls. No badmouthing. No empty hype. Determination, skill and passion got into
the ring last night and everyone who watched won. May lesser fighters and
lesser men watch and learn... this is why we love boxing.
Cheers.
