Matter of pride

For eight-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, taking on archrival Juan Manuel Marquez means a lot more in terms of pride and legacy than battling Timothy Bradley who took away his WBO welterweight belt in dubious fashion last June.

No title will be on the line when Pacquiao and Marquez face off in their fourth encounter at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 8. Marquez is the interim WBO lightwelterweight titleholder but the protagonists agreed to fight at the welterweight limit of 147 even as the Mexican declared he will come in about four pounds less.

When they fought for the first time in 2004, both fighters scaled 125 pounds. That was in the featherweight division where the weight limit is 126. The outcome was a split draw but it should’ve been a win by split decision for Pacquiao as judge Burt Clements erred in scoring the first round 10-7 instead of 10-6. Under international rules, a fighter is awarded a 10-6 count for a round where he scores three knockdowns. Pacquiao decked Marquez thrice in the first round and only Clements didn’t score it 10-6. The two other judges John Stewart and Guy Jutras did.

In their second bout in 2008, they fought in the superfeatherweight division with a weight limit of 130. Pacquiao scaled 129 and Marquez, 130. The Filipino ring icon won by a split verdict with Duane Ford scoring it 115-112 and Tom Miller 114-113 for Pacquiao and Jerry Roth 115-112 for Marquez.

The third clash set a catchweight limit of 144 pounds. Pacquiao tipped in at 143 and Marquez, 142. In a tight contest, Pacquiao won by majority decision as Dave Moretti had it 115-113 and Glenn Trowbridge 116-112 and Robert Hoyle, 114-all.

Marquez claimed he was robbed thrice of a win in the three Pacquiao fights. The records will show that while the three bouts were close, the Mexican has not beaten Pacquiao even once in battling 36 rounds. In total points, Pacquiao has scored 1,024 for an average of 114 while Marquez, 1,017 for an average of 113 – that’s how closely-contested their trilogy was. In the knockdown department, Pacquiao has chalked up four to none for Marquez who was floored thrice in the first bout and once in the second.

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The absence of sanction by a governing body, outside of the supervising Nevada State Athletic Commission, is of no consequence to either fighter. Pacquiao and Marquez know that their fourth meeting will sell tickets whether or not it is sanctioned by the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF or whatever. They’d rather keep the sanction fee for themselves. On the first day that tickets went on sale, 13,000 were scooped up, leaving less than 3,000 in the market.

Bradley outpointed Pacquiao last June but the consensus was the win by split decision was undeserved. On paper, it would’ve been an interesting script if they met in a rematch for Pacquiao to gain revenge and regain the crown. But boxing fans couldn’t care less about scripts. They’ll buy tickets or subscribe on pay-per-view if they think the fight is competitive. Unfortunately, not too many experts think Bradley is a worthwhile opponent for Pacquiao even if the Desert Storm holds the WBO title. Besides, a fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez is an easier sell than a Bradley rematch. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is a whiz when it comes to estimating gross sales – he’ll want to maximize with Pacquiao, particularly as the reelectionist congressman from Sarangani may be winding down his career sooner than later.

It won’t be just pride that Pacquiao is fighting for. He’s also determined to make a sensational showing to lock up that elusive showdown with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather sometime next year. The country’s elections will be held on May 13 so it’s likely Pacquiao and Mayweather will slug it out after the polls. An April date may not be tenable since Pacquiao will need eight weeks to prepare for Mayweather and it will cut into his campaign period. Pacquiao will also be barnstorming for wife Jinkee who’s running for Sarangani vice governor and brother Rogel who’s running for congressman in the first district of South Cotabato.

If Pacquiao fails to impress against Marquez, Arum will be hard pressed to sell a Mayweather fight. But if Pacquiao scores a spectacular victory, Arum will need a venue to sit thrice the MGM Grand Garden Arena capacity for the much-awaited duel. The betting is a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will break pay-per-view records for a boxing event but the Filipino must put up a convincing performance against Marquez to pave the way.

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Marquez, 39, looked pudgy in decisioning Ukraine’s Serhiy Fedchenko in Mexico City last April. It was his first outing since losing to Pacquiao five months before. The Mexican scaled 140 pounds for Fedchenko but although he came in two pounds lighter than in the third Pacquiao fight, he seemed bulkier. Marquez’ biceps were bulging, his shoulders were roundly muscular and his midsection wasn’t taut. Controversial strength and conditioning coach Angel (Memo) Hernandez, also known as Heredia, probably focused on his upper body in the gym. Fedchenko, a clearly inferior fighter, was never floored in the fight, raising doubts on Marquez’s ability to bring up his power to the welterweight class. Hernandez vowed to unleash a “bigger, stronger and faster” Marquez against Pacquiao.

As for the Filipino superstar, he said it’s a knockout or bust. “My focus this time is to go for the knockout,” the 33-year-old Pacquiao said. “I picked Marquez because it would be an exciting fight. If I chose Bradley, it would be another one-sided fight. I don’t think the fans want me to see fight Bradley again. In the last fight, I took Marquez too lightly because I was the bigger man physically. I want to erase the last fight and any doubts. I will fight and train like the old Manny, the 25-year-old Manny. My concern is to make people happy that they watched the fight. I don’t want the fans to be bored. I need to be more aggressive in this fight. I want a win that isn’t close like the last three. It has to be a decisive victory.”