Pacquiao Marquez IV Preview and Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s Next Move
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (December 8, 2012)– On Saturday night, December 8, 2012, at the MGM Grand Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Manny Pacquiao will face Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth and final confrontation in the co-main event of an eight bout card, in a 12 rounder for the World Boxing Organization ‘Fighter of the Decade’ belt. The belt may be equated to a WBC Diamond belt, or ‘Super Champion’ status ………and all that jazz.
Pacquiao, now 54-4-2 with 38 knockouts, Kibawe, Bukidnon, Phillipines, will face Marquez, 54-6-1 with 39 knockouts, a Mexican fighting out of Anaheim, California. While ‘Fighter of the Decade’ as a belt has no particular weight class attached to it, the bout is scheduled to go off at welterweight, according to BoxRec. After losing a controversial split decision to Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas, Nevada, in June 2012, a subsequent review by a panel of five veteran judges commissioned by the World Boxing Organization declared Pacquiao the unanimous decision winner by decision, Bradley nevertheless is still WBO World Welterweight champion. Reference is at
http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Manny_Pacquiao_vs._Timothy_Bradley#Notes
Prefight Preview Analysis
Many boxing fans truly believe the same thing as what Juan Manuel Marquez is saying, that Marquez was robbed against Manny Pacquiao three times. (Marquez earned a draw, a split decision loss, and a majority decision loss against Pacquiao).
Pacquiao lost a decision he should have won (and the WBO now says he won) to Timothy Bradley, with the judges in the last fight giving the bout to Bradley when southpaw Manny ‘Pac Man’ won the bout hands down. Most experts watching the bout gave Timothy Bradley no more than two rounds.
The Marquez camp is feeling good right now, because they know Timothy Bradley pulled out a ‘magical’ victory-after not even being close in the Pacquiao fight. The Marquez corner believes they may not need a knockout to defeat Pacquiao this time, as they feel they can win a 12 round decision. This takes big pressure off the Marquez corner going into their fourth high stakes bout with Manny Pacquiao.
For Manny Pacquiao to win, Pacquiao is going to have to do what Pacquiao does best, only a lot more of it. Pacquiao is going to have to overwhelm Marquez with punches from all angles. To do that, Pacquiao must be in better physical conditioning than Marquez. The winner of the bout might come down to who trained for their harder and wants to win a little bit more with the ‘extra edge’.
The only way Marquez is going to beat Pacquiao is to outwork him by throwing punches in combinations, not single shots or double shots. Marquez must throw punch combinations in big punches and overwhelm Pacquiao by the punch count.
To do this, Marquez must be in the best physical condition of his career-and hope that Pacquiao is NOT in the best physical shape of his career, enabling Marquez to significantly and consistently outpunch and outwork Pacquiao and surprise him.
Speed and timing of punches is always a factor. Both Pacquiao and Marquez are of similar ability on paper. Relatively speaking, they p both possess the same punching speed. Pacquiao might have a slight edge on speed, particularly if he gets off first. Marquez makes up for Pacquiao’s slight edge in speed with superior intelligence. Marquez can outthink and outsmart Pacquiao because he has better experience in terms of the quality of his opponents versus Pacquiao’s, who were lighter in ability.
Both fighters have skin like leather, and they won’t cut unless they crash heads, which would immediately change the picture and the tempo of the bout. Between Marquez and Pacquiao, the first fighter who gets cut will be the one forced to go for the knockout because otherwise that fighter is going to lose on the scorecards.
The Las Vegas location is also a factor in determining the winner between Pacquiao and Marquez. Pacquiao did lose his last bout, in the same ring, to Timothy Bradley. Marquez lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by 12 round decision in the same MGM Grand ring in 2009, but subsequently Marquez stopped Michael Katsidis in the same MGM Grand ring in 2010. The referee giving Marquez the stoppage win over Katsidis, Kenny Bayless, will be the referee during Pacquiao versus Marquez IV. Bayless also refereed Pacquiao’s split decision win over Marquez in 2008, but considering Bayless stopped a bout in this ring in Marquez favor recently, the Marquez corner will like that coming into their fourth meeting with Pacquiao.
Sample Las Vegas Scorecards
Marquez Versus Pacquiao
Scorecards Bout One 115-113, 116-112 Pacquiao, 114-114 Draw.
Scorecards Bout Two 115-112, 114-113, Pacquiao. 115-112 Marquez.
Scorecards Bout Three 115-110, 115-110 Pacquiao. 113-113 Draw.
Bradley Versus Pacquiao 115-113, 115-113 Bradley. 115-113 Pacquiao.
Pacquiao Versus Sugar Shane Mosley 120-107, 120-108, 119-108 Pacquiao.
Marquez versus Juan Diaz 118-110, 117-111, 116-112 Marquez.
Marquez Versus Barrera 118-109, 116-111, 116-111 Marquez
The scheduled judges of Pacquiao-Marquez IV, Adelaide Byrd, Steve Weisfeld, and John Keane have never scored a Pacquiao fight. Judge Steve Weisfeld scored it 118-109 for Marquez over Sirhiy Fedchenko in their interim WBO world title bout in April 2012, making him favorable to the Marquez corner. Judge Adelaide Byrd had Marquez winning 78-74 over Michael Katsidis in their November 2010 bout beofre the bout was stopped in Marquez’ favor. Byrd also had Marquez winning over Victor Polo 120-107 in Marquez successful WBA and IBF World Featherweight title defense in May 2005 at Mandalay Bay Casino. Byrd is liked by the Marquez camp.
Steve Weisfeld has been a judge primarily in New York and New Jersey for the past 20 years, frequently in Atlantic City. In his most recent appearance, Weisfeld scored the WBA Light Middleweight champion Austin Trout defeating Miguel Cotto 117-111 at Madison Square Garden last weekend, he was also a judge in several world title bouts which did not reach a decision, the WBC Lightweight title bout in Atlantic City between Adrien Broner and Antonio DeMarco in November, Danny Garcia’s knockout of Erik Morales at the Barclay’s Center Brooklyn in October, Thomas Oosthuizen’s 12 round decision victory to retain his IBO World Super Middleweight title over Rowland Bryant at Roseland Ballroom in New York City this past August, scored for Oosthuizen 117-111 by Weisfeld, and Carl Froch’s fifth round stoppage of Lucian Bute for the IBF Super Middleweight title at Nottingham Arena this past April, to name a few.
Weisfeld, usually a judge when this reporter covers Atlantic City bouts, has always scored his bouts honest, neutral and fair, is a person of extraordinarily fine character, and has always got it right, perhaps the best judge scoring Atlantic City bouts in recent memory. Weisfeld will score it for the winner, and score it fair and square, from my experience of his excellent judging. Very neutral and fair judge. Weisfeld would be favored more by the Pacquiao corner based on his judging experience for his fairness and neutrality. This could lead to a close split decision.
Prediction
Bout IV is going to be Juan Manuel Marquez’ time to beat Pacquiao. If the third was not a clincher, the fourth time will be. Marquez Win 12 over Pacquiao.
This 12 round decision is going to Marquez, and it will prove to be Marquez’ night of redemption. But-if the fight ends in a knockout-it will be a 50-50 shot-the bout could then go either way.
Pacquiao was knocked out early in his career twice in the third round-he walked into a shot by Rustico Torrecampo in 1996-which can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9321Mo2Gags
-and when his failed to make weight and lost his WBC Flyweight title on a body shot thrown by 18-0 Moedgoen Singsurat in 1999–which can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4qwBzJKrXY. Antonio Margarito managed to do damage to Pacquiao’s body when he could get inside and land body shots with pinpoint accuracy, difficult for him because both of his eyes were punched swollen at the time-but enough to prove where the damage would be done by somebody like Marquez or Floyd Mayweather Jr. if they could target Pacman’s weakness to the body after breaking down Pacquiao’s defenses.
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