Pacquiao vs Marquez IV
When Manny Pacquiao ( 54-4-2, 38 KOS ) squares off against Juan Manuel Marquez ( 54-6-1, 39 KOS ) for a fourth time this saturday, boxing fans already have a fairly good idea of what to expect. After all, even though Pacquiao officially has two victories and a draw against Marquez, These two have essentially battled to a stalemate after thirty-six rounds of action. If their past three encounters are any indication, there is little reason to believe things will unfold much differently in this fourth installment. The natural order of these clashing stules seemingly demands a fierce and competitive contest, and there is a strong likelihood this will yet again prove true on saturday.
The big question going into this bout is what, if anything, can either man do differently in order to secure a decisive victory? All of the previous matchups between Pacquiao and Marquez concluded with varying degrees of dissenting voices and perceived controversies, but this comes with the territory of pitting evenly matched combatants against each other, especially when they exhibit a vastly different set of skills and strengths. Is it realistic to believe that either boxer can make a signification adjustment that enables him to finally seize command? It appears unlike, but the thing about boxing is that anything can happen when to men enter the squared circle. Even though Pacquiao and Marquez have surely each presented the other with his full bag of tricks, many times over by now, ti is still possible that subtle change in tactics can sometimes render amazing results.
The entire foundation of the conflict was firmly established during their very first fight in 2004. Pacquiao hurt Marquez dropping him three times in an opening round explosion. Had the fight been stopped then. fans may have been cheated out of a compelling historic rivalry. But Marquez was allowed to continue and he survived the follow-up onslaughts long enough to clear his head and regain his footing. Marquez then proceeded to tame Pacquiao's ferocity by neutralizing his powerful left hand and effectively outboxing and outmaneuvering him. It was a matter of Pacquiao being the more powerful and athletic, where's Marquez proved superior as a thinking tactician. It was a matter of execution, and Marquez ultimately won more rounds after digging himself in an early hole with the knockdowms. The result was a somewhat controversial draw where each side had its own chorus of fans making their fighter's case.
When the two has their long awaited rematch nearly four years later, Pacquiao seemed like a more complete fighter going in. His right hook had developed into a tremendous weapon that nicely complimented his lethal left, and Pacquiao also fine-tuned numerous other aspects of his game. Even with the improvements, Marquez still found ways to neutralize Pacquiao's natural advantages by boxing intelligently. Pacquiao still had his fair share of moments, though, and even managed to score another knockdown in the third. Marquez again perserved and the two engaged in another close and competitive hard fought battle. This time Pacquiao was awarded a slot decision victory, and again there were outcries of robbery from a vocal faction.
Going into their most recent fight last november, many observers (myself included) believed that these were fighters headed in two different directions. Pacquiao had continued improving and gone on Mosley, and Antonio Margarito. The fact that Marquez looked so poor physically and was very ineffective in this only fight at that weight against Floyd Mayweather Junior made this one seem like a foregone conclusion, especially since Marquez was 38. but despite the fact Pacquiao was perceived as naturally bigger grown and much improved, Marquez silenced naysayers with yet another magnificent effort against Pacquiao. This time Pacquiao was awarded a majority decision victory, but based on the overall fan reaction this was probably the most controversial of the bunch.
