Pacquiao Edges Marquez For Super Featherweight Belt
The following is from the Sports Ticker:
Pacquiao edges Marquez for super featherweight belt
LAS VEGAS (TICKER) â€"Manny Pacquiao finally got the job done against Juan Manuel Marquez.
Ultimately as a result of a knockdown late in the third round, Pacquiao scored a split-decision victory over Marquez at Mandalay Bay on Saturday to win the WBC super featherweight title.
It was a rematch of their 12-round draw on May 8, 2004, when Pacquiao - who generally is regarded as the second-best pound-for-pound fighter in the world behind only Floyd Mayweather Jr. - knocked the Mexican down three times in the first round.
Marquez managed to regroup and outbox the Filipino for the remainder of that bout.
In this one, Pacquiao (46-3-2, 35 KOs) was rocked by a left hook in the final seconds of the second round but showed no ill effects in the third, when he dropped Marquez (48-4-1) with a short left hand.
That proved to be the difference as each fighter received a score of 115-112 before judge Tom Miller gave the fight to Pacquiao by a 114-113 margin.
An accidental head butt by Pacquiao in the seventh round opened a gash above Marquez’s right eye. Blood trickled from the cut throughout the remainder of the bout, but even though it worsened, Marquez did not let it affect his performance as he was the better fighter over the last two rounds.
The 29-year-old Pacquiao has won eight consecutive matches since losing a unanimous decision to Erik Morales on March 19, 2005. The native of the Philippines avenged that defeat, however, scoring a technical knockout January 21, 2001 and knocking out Morales in the third round of their third bout on November 18, 2006.
Marquez, 34, claimed the super featherweight title from Marco Antonio Barrera on March 17, 2007. He made a successful defense against Rocky Juarez on November 3 before Saturday’s loss.
On the undercard, WBC lightweight champion David Diaz (34-1-1, 17 KOs) won a majority 10-round decision over Humberto Soto (43-7-2) in a non-title bout.
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