RING AWARDS PACQUIAO THE BELT BUT CLAIMS MARQUEZ WON
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 19 Mar 2008
Ring Magazine, regarded as the ?Bible? of boxing, awarded Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao the coveted super featherweight championship belt but claimed Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez won the fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino last Sunday, Manila Time.
Managing editor Joe Satoliquito who had a ringside seat and awarded the Ring Magazine belt to Pacquiao after the Filipino southpaw and national treasure won a razor-thin split decision, had Marquez ahead by two points at the end of twelve dramatic rounds of thrust and parry. Neither fighter really dominated and it was the cracking left hook from Pacquiao that decked Marquez in round three that eventually made the difference in favor of the Philippines national treasure.
Ring?s respected Editor-in-Chief Nigel Collins told Viva Sports/Manila Standard that aside from Satoliquito, associate editor Eric Raskin and senior writer William Detloff as well as himself all had Marquez winning by two points on their unofficial scorecards.
Collins said that ?despite disagreeing with the official verdict, none of us felt it was an outrageous decision as many rounds were very close and Manny did score the only knockdown of the fight.?
Collins said it was ?an excellent fight and both men should be praised for the remarkable skill and courage they displayed? although Collins believes the fight was ?not quite in the same league as the recent Israel Vasquez-Rafael Marquez war which was among the greatest fights I?ve ever seen in more than 35 years covering boxing.?
The Ring Editor-in-Chief said fans of both Pacquiao and Marquez would welcome a third bout but it seems that Pacquiao will move up to fight WBC lightweight champion David Diaz next. He said if that happens and Pacquiao relinquishes the junior lightweight belt he won, Marquez who is now the Ring?s No. 1 contender at 130 pounds will have to be involved in any bout for the vacant title which is what WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman told us on Monday.
Collins said that Joan Guzman is the Ring?s No. 2 junior lightweight contender and would be ?the logical opponent for Marquez if Pacquiao vacates the title.?
Meantime, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer insisted that ?the only right thing to do is a rematch.? Apparently not giving up on his $6 million offer to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum for a third battle with Pacquiao, Schaefer said ?we will see in the coming weeks what?s going to happen.?
Schaefer stressed that ?fight fans want and deserve to see the best fighting the best? even as he praised both Pacquiao and Marquez saying ?it was a great night where both fighters were at their best.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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