“Pacman’s still our hero. He beat Marquez twice. He lost only once. Lamang pa rin tayo,” Ram Maxey, a local sports analyst.
By MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Nobody was prepared for it. Even the People’s Champ.
Eight-time world division champion Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquaio lost from Mexican Juan Manuel ‘The Dynamite’ Marquez with that solid right at the chin in the last second of the sixth round. Pacquaio fell face down and was not able to move for about two minutes.
“Pacman’s still our hero. He beat Marquez twice. He lost only once. Lamang pa rin tayo,” Ram Maxey, a local sports analyst, told davaotoday.com.
The fight surprised many in the third round when Marquez knocked down Pacquiao after unleashing a right hook. This is the first time in all their fights that Pacquiao fell flat on his back.
“Manny will remain a champ in the hearts and minds of Pinoys. He fought ferociously and made us proud. His name will continue to shine, both inside and outside the ring,” said Elmer Labog of labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno.
Pacquiao has supported the workers’ call for a legislated 125-peso wage increase. “We trust that he will continue to fight for and help the country’s workers,” Labog said.
For Teddy Casiño, Bayan Muna representative and Makabayan Coalition’s senatorial bet, Marquez’s “single punch victory” over Pacquiao “was a shocker.”
“But that’s how it is in sports – you win some you lose some. Definitely Manny’s loss will not diminish our high esteem for him as a fighter and colleague in Congress,” Casiño said.
“I hope his health is okay,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte told davaotoday.com.
In his post-fight interview, Pacquiao said: “He got me a good shot. But that’s part of boxing. Sometimes we got hit.
Also in a post-fight interview, Marquez said, “After I knocked him down the first time, I know that I have to be patient because with one punch, Manny could knock me out.”
In the fifth round, the table was turned with Marquez dropping in the canvas after Pacquaio gave him a left hook. This is the fifth time in their fights that Marquez has been knocked down.
“He did hit me with a good punch and after that he was very quick. But I was strong and I knew that I had it in me to be able to win this fight,” said Marquez.
And in round six, everybody was caught by surprise when Pacquiao, despite his aggressiveness, the Pinoy champ dropped like a log.
“I started to be overconfident (after the fifth round). I never expected that punch,” said Pacquiao.
Meanwhile, Marquez said, “After I saw that he was gonna throw the one-two (punch), I stepped to the right and gave him a flash (to the chin) and that was when he went down.”
Marquez’s new record is 55-6-1 with 40 knockouts. Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s new record is 54-5-2, losing consecutive fights for the first time in his career. He lost to American Timothy Bradley in a fight last June.
Pacquiao in his entire boxing career was knocked out three times. His first two losses were in 1996 and in 1999 when he was still a flyweight fighting against Medgoen Singsurat of Thailand.
Before Pacquaio was knocked out by Marquez Sunday, the three judges had him ahead of Marquez with 47-46 on their scorecards.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Pacquiao outlanded Marquez with 94-52 in total punches and 68-41 in power punches in the first half of the game. It added, Marquez landed only 21 percent of his punches in this knockout win over Pacquiao.
Many are wondering would there be another Pacquiao-Marquez bout.
Bob Arum, Top Rank promoter, is open for a fifth rematch between the two, saying, “Why not? People love this action.”
Pacquiao in an interview after his medical checkup said he’s not yet sure and would have to contemplate whether to have another fight with Marquez.
“If Pacman thinks deep in his heart he can beat Marquez in a fifth fight, okay. Then he should retire. He has nothing more to prove. Mahirap pantayan ang nagawa niya as a boxer,” Maxey said, adding that “Pinoy pride will always eye for revenge, payback time. A fifth fight will be even more attractive.”
But Professor Mae Fe Templa said, “He better make himself available for the people in his town. He could come up with bills and laws to improve the country’s poor situation and contribute to efforts in creating jobs using his wealth and influence.”
The match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada Saturday (Sunday in the Philippines) is the fourth for Pacquiao and Marquez since their 2004 fight which ended in a draw. In their 2008 rematch, Pacquiao won by split decision and in the 2011 rematch, he won via majority decision.(Marilou Aguirre-Tuburan/davaotoday.com
