Winding up unfinished business
Pacquiao dropped Marquez thrice in the first round but because the three-knockdown rule was not in effect, referee Joe Cortez allowed the action to continue. Marquez survived the early jolt to make it close down the stretch.
Judge Gut Jutras saw it for Marquez, 115-110. Judge John Stewart scored it 115-110 for Pacquiao. And judge Burt Clements had it 113-all. Clements, however, scored the first round 10-7 for Pacquiao when it should’ve been 10-6 as Jutras and Stewart did.
Clements admitted he erred because he incorrectly presumed a 10-6 count is not possible. In a fight where the three-knockdown rule is applied, a 10-6 count is impossible. But in a fight where it isn’t applied, the count is possible.
If Clements was on the ball, Pacquiao would’ve won by a split decision.
Under boxing rules, Clements’ score could not be altered even if he admitted the mistake.
There were several other factors that robbed Pacquiao of a win. Cortez never deducted a point from Marquez despite warning him four times for hitting below the belt. The usual practice is a referee automatically deducts a point after three infractions. Pacquiao hurt his left hand banging Marquez’ head in the first round and nursed a blister in his left big toe starting the second round because of wearing thin socks.
Now, four years later, Marquez is older at 34, slower and less menacing as shown in his last two fights against Marco Antonio Barrera who scored a knockdown and Rocky Juarez. Because he is slower, Marquez has become more of a confrontational fighter – which makes him tailor-made for Pacquiao.
Marquez has been floored by Darryl Pinckney, Freddie Norwood, Pacquiao and Barrera so he’s far from being invincible. He has lost thrice – by disqualification in his pro debut to Javier Duran in 1993, to
Three of his victims were Filipinos – Reynante Jamili, Baby Lorona and Jimrex Jaca.
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One of eight children, Marquez compiled a 35-1 amateur record before turning pro. A younger brother Rafael is a former world bantamweight titleholder.
As an amateur star trained by his father Rafael Sr., Marquez was touted to be a future Olympian until he met a freak accident. He fell from a tree in the backyard of the Marquez’ home and hurt his back. The injury sidelined Marquez for two years and wiped out his hopes of representing
A close family friend Ignacio (Nacho) Beristain, 68, was tapped to train Marquez from his early days as a pro. Beristain, who spent 16 years with the Mexican national team and worked in four Olympics, has produced over 15 world champions, including Gilberto Roman and Ricardo Lopez. He began training fighters in 1959.
Marquez’ deliberate and clinical style is reflective of Beristain’s approach.
“Defensively sound, economical and powerful, a skilled fighter practicing Beristain’s style resembles a cobra preparing to strike,” wrote Damien Picariello in Boxing Digest magazine.
“The style that I teach takes from the Soviet and the Cuban styles,” said Beristain. “I first picked up these things from my days working in the amateurs and Olympics, seeing the different fighters from different nations. I added some more footwork and movement and I refined and adapted the style to make it more suitable for pro boxing.”
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The referee in the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch is Kenny Bayless, 57. A referee since 1991, Bayless is a cancer survivor who underwent prostate surgery four years ago. At California State Hayward, Bayless and twin brother Kermit were All-American tracksters. He taught physical education and health at the
The judges are Jerry Roth, 66, Duane Ford, 70, and Tom Miller, 48. Ford has been a judge since 1978 and in 2000, had the dissenting vote in Erik Morales’ split decision win over Barrera. Roth has worked fights in
Pacquiao, 29, is at the peak of his career. He’s looking forward to facing WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, tentatively on June 28 here, but he’s careful not to take Marquez lightly in their unfinished business this morning (Manila time).
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