Manny Pacquiao retained his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown with a controversial majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
As was the case in their first two bouts, this third one was close and exciting. One judge had it a 114-all draw, while two others had it 115-113 and 116-112 for Pacquiao.
But if Marquez was disappointed in the results of the first two fights of this epic trilogy, which ended in a draw and a split decision for Pacquiao, he is sure to be seething with anger by the outcome of this one. The Mexican counter-punched beautifully in the middle rounds and gave Pacquiao everything he could handle towards the end.
Before the fight, many were wondering if Marquez, a natural lightweight, had bitten off more than he could chew by agreeing to a catchweight of 144 pounds. But El Dinamita moved well despite the added poundage, although Pacquiao was still clearly the faster fighter.
There were too many close rounds in this bout, and for once Pacquiao was unable to deck his great rival. Marquez clearly won the second, fifth and seventh rounds, and you could have made a case for his winning at least four other rounds well.
Pacquiao rocked Marquez a few times in the early rounds and the championship rounds, but each time was unable to finish off the Mexican, who was never in danger of going down. He was often frustrated by Marquez's counter-punching, and had trouble finding his rhythm.
When the verdict was announced, Marquez and his entourage quickly left the ring, with his fans booing. Asked if he was willing to fight Marquez a fourth time, Pacquiao didn't close the door.
"I can fight any fighter, as long as there's no problem with my promoter," he said. "It depends on Bob Arum."
If anything, this bout was perhaps even more inconclusive than the first two, and Part IV would certainly be welcomed by most fight fans. Thirty-six rounds were not enough to determine once and for all who is the better fighter among the two. The question is whether Marquez, who has long claimed he won the first two fights, would still agree to a fourth one after feeling he has been robbed of victory again.
The win raised Pacquiao's record to 54-3-2, but took some luster off his claim to the mythical title of best pound-for-pound boxer. It also raised questions about how he would really fare in a clash with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who easily beat Marquez via unanimous decision and even knocked him down.
