By Karim ‘Kato’ Godfrey: A few months ago I wrote Part 1 of this article in high anticipation of the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao Trilogy. Part 1 can be found here on this site at the following link: http://www.boxing247.com/news.php?p=28268&more=1
Please re-read that article, formulate your own opinion and really try to determine in your own minds who actually won the first fight. On Friday November 4th at 11:00PM on HBO, Manny will be giving his own analysis of the first fight. Hopefully that will clear up many misconceptions.
On Saturday March 15th 2008, the second part of the trilogy took place and lived up to everyone’s expectations. These two guys really know how to put on a show and the fans really appreciate them for it. In my opinion this fight was a lot closer than the first and could have ended in a draw again. I scored the fight 115 – 112 in favor of Manny Pacquiao.
1. Round 1: The first fight started with a mild feeling out process but Manny landed the better shots during the first few exchanges. Marquez did his thing and waited for the counter as he landed a few punches himself but was a little reluctant and maintained a safe distance. Punch stats have Pacman landing 12/49 to JMM 6/43. (Rnd. 1 to MP, 10-9)
2. Round 2: Pacquiao has really good upper body rhythm. He moves well in and out and has a good guard from side to side. He makes it almost impossible for Marquez to land anything meaningful. At 1:15 left of the round Manny lands that ominous left that causes Marquez to buckle a little. Marquez covers up well and with 5 seconds remaining he catches Manny with a well placed uppercut and a huge left hook that staggers Pacquiao. Pacman is visibly surprised but ends the round bouncing on his toes. (Rnd. 2 JMM, 10-9)
3. Round 3: At the 2:00 mark, JMM lands a straight right hand right down the middle that surprises Pacquiao again. Manny takes the shot well, resets and continues to pressure Marquez. JMM is fighting a very smart fight and is countering very well. Pacman mixes it up a bit with 15 seconds remaining in the round and drops Marquez with a beautiful short left that finds Marquez’s chin with pin point accuracy. Marquez is visibly buzzed and is lucky to have survived the round. After the bell rings to end the round, Marquez walks halfway to the wrong corner until the referee grabs him and turns him around to his corner. (Rnd. 3 MP, 10-8)
4. Round 4: Juan Manuel Marquez starts the round quickly as he starts to pressure Pacquiao. Manny prevails with the better, harder shots during the exchanges as he catches Marquez with his patented right, straight left combination. JMM lands one or two of his own but Pacquiao seems the stronger more confident fighter in this round. Punches landed through round 4, Fight 1: JMM = 45, MP = 50; Fight 2: JMM = 51, MP = 53. (Rnd. 4 MP, 10-9)
5. Round 5: Manny continues to pressure Marquez as he stalks him around the ring. This was a quiet round as a few stinging exchanges were traded. In my opinion I think Manny did enough to win this round but it was very close and I could give it to JMM either way. (Rnd. 5 JMM, 10-9)
6. Round 6: Juan Manuel controls the majority of this round with great counter punching. He lands significantly more shots during the entire round rather than getting busier as the round comes to a close. Manny took this round off for sure. (Rnd. 6 JMM, 10-9)
7. Round 7: Both fighters are pecking jabs at each other as the round starts. Pacman seems to have more energy than Marquez as he continues to bounce on his toes around the ring. At 1:32 remaining, Marquez gets hit with an accidental head butt. The fight resumes and Manny turns up the heat a bit. JMM responds and starts trading shots. Manny lands the better punches. Punches landed through round 7, Fight 1: JMM = 93, MP = 93; Fight 2: JMM = 83, MP = 91. (Rnd. 7 MP, 10-9)
8. Round 8: The fight is beginning to pick back up in this round. At the 2:36 mark, JMM lands a solid straight left hand. Pacman surprised again jumps back does his patented glove tap and starts to play defense. Pacman is cut and looks visibly worried but his heart doesn’t allow him to quit. He backs up to the ropes, invites Marquez in and blocks all of the punches with his triangle defense as he maneuvers off the ropes and smiles at Marquez. Pacman seems very bothered by the cut and seems content to play defense. At 1:06, Pacman lungs in with a jab, jab, left combination which he misses. He lands with his back to the ropes and blocks Marquez’s own 3 punch combination. JMM lands a stinging 1, 2 combination that snaps Manny’s head back. Punches landed in round 8, JMM = 21/46, MP = 5/25. (Rnd. 8 JMM, 10-9)
9. Round 9: The round starts a little slow but picks up at the 2:00 mark. Manny lands a hard right as Marquez lands a right of his own. JMM tries to back Manny to the ropes but Pacquiao bounces off, turns around and brings the fight back to the middle of the ring. Marquez is cut a second time over the right eye, this time caused by a punch. They trade shots at the end of the round. Very close round, could go either way. Punches landed through round 9, JMM = 92/223, MP = 80/208 (Rnd. 9 JMM, 10-9)
10. Round 10: Manny continues to bob and weave as he makes his way on the inside and catches Marquez with a looping left that buckles Marquez as he misses his own left hook. Manny smells blood and lunges in with a hard 1, 2 combination that puts Marquez on the ropes. Pacquiao continues to wing power shots and Marquez takes them well and answers with punch after punch of his own. There’s no quit in Marquez. JMM is able to weather the barrage and brings the fight back to the middle of the ring. Both fighters have slowed down considerably but Pacman still has more bounce in his step. At the 1:57 mark, Pacman catches Marquez with the same looping left and the blood begins to pour. Very close round. Punches landed in round 10, JMM = 15, MP = 17. (Rnd. 10 MP, 10-9)
11. Round 11: Marquez’s corner senses the urgency and JMM starts out fast. He connects with a looping left hook, straight right combination. No one lands anything significant and Pacman seems content to play defense as he tries to counter Marquez. Manny counters Marquez very nicely for the last 15 seconds of the round. Even though it was a close round I believe Manny did enough to squeak it out. (Rnd. 11 MP, 10-9) * Harold Lederman of HBO has this round 10-9 for JMM. This is the only round we really differ on.
12. Round 12: Marquez’s corner could be heard telling him he has to come with everything in this last round. Marquez, sensing the urgency starts to become the aggressor. He catches Manny with a long, left uppercut and follows it up with a stinging straight right. Manny takes the shots well and follows Marquez with his triangle guard up. Manny begins to pick up the pace at the 1:25 minute mark and starts to connect with solid lefts. (Rnd. 12 JMM, 10-9)
Will fight 3 of this trilogy be any different? Marquez just seems to have Manny’s number. No matter how much stronger, better, more skillful Pacquiao is, he just can’t seem to be able to shake Marquez’s spirit. These old rivals will prepare to settle unfinished business on November 12th and I can’t wait. Be prepared for non-stop action as Marquez has a lot to prove and Manny can’t take a loss at this point in his career. Pacquiao always seems to come to the ring prepared and this time won’t be any different. So expect fireworks, sportsmanship and an exciting fight.