By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez produced the most stirring victory of his career in stopping his rival Manny Pacquiao in dramatic fashion inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Facing Pacquiao for a fourth time, Marquez found himself involved in another incredible battle, as the two fighters traded knockdowns before a bloodied Juan Manuel unleashed a short right hand in the closing seconds of the sixth round that dropped Pacquiao to the canvas and left him unconscious.
Sitting ringside as he called the action for HBO, longtime analyst Larry Merchant had a lot to reflect on as we spoke about Pacquiao-Marquez IV and its many subplots on Sunday evening.
Read below for Merchant’s thoughts on the incredible action, what options are left for Pacquiao and Marquez, why a fifth fight makes sense, and why he wouldn’t be surprised if either man walked away from boxing.
Thrilling competition…
“It’s one of those rare fights when two elite fighters decide to test each other to the max and it was a thrilling competition and drama. The kind of sudden, unexpected climax that we’re probably going to remember for a long time. It was a little surprising that Pacquiao would get hit by such long, winging punch. But it indicated how offensive-minded he was, which we’ve seen from the opening bell.”
Marquez’s fortitude in surviving and knocking out Pacquiao…
“I think everyone saw that he was in trouble and bleeding and starting to labor with his breathing. But it didn’t appear that there were any signs that his body was betraying him in any way. He was highly motivated to survive and keep throwing and was convinced that one of his big counter-punches would get through to Pacquiao.”
Pacquiao getting careless…
“At the moment, from where we were sitting, I wasn’t quite sure what the punch was. And of course, whatever you think you saw when you saw Pacquiao literally knocked out and the fight ending before your eyes, at that moment you weren’t thinking about what the punch was. As somebody who’s seen a lot of fights, you understand that Pacquiao was trying to finish Marquez but Marquez wasn’t finished. As a consequence, Pacquiao got a little carless, a little reckless, and there was more left of Marquez than met the eye.”
What the future holds…
“The obvious answer, which isn’t necessarily the obvious truth, would be to fight each other again. I guess, from the point of view of boxing and fans, there’s more reason to have a rematch today than there was Saturday. Because, that’s what the fans would probably want to see and that’s where the money would be. Unless one of them is advised that maybe that’s a good time to hang the gloves up.”
If Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios and Marquez vs. Timothy Bradley were to happen next year…
“They’d be good fights. I think both Pacquiao and Marquez might be the underdogs in those fights. But they’d be good fights. If they’re going to keep fighting, I don’t know if they’d want to jeopardize the rematch, which would be the biggest fight either one of them could make right now.”
If Pacquiao and Marquez walk away from boxing…
“It would be, in a way, similar to when Lennox Lewis and Marvin Hagler walked away from huge paydays. Their records would stand the test of time and their fights, not just the ones against each other, are indelible to all fight fans. And Manny Pacquiao is a worldwide phenomenon.”
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