LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 12: (L-R) Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao exchange blows during the WBO world welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Last night (Sat., Nov. 12, 2011) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, two old foes renewed their rivalry when Manny Pacquiao stepped back in the ring against Juan Manuel Marquez.
12 rounds and 36 minutes of back and forth action later, it seemed as though a clear winner may not have been determined. Sure enough, the first judges scorecard read 114-114. A draw felt fitting, considering how hard Marquez battled, despite his declining speed and advanced age, and how much heart Pacquiao showed to fight through the adversity of battling a man who seemed to have his number.
Then the final two scores were read: 115-113 and 116-112, both in favor of "Pacman." The fighting pride of the Philippines and arguably the pound-for-pound greatest in the world had done it again.
Or had he?
Immediately after the decision was read and Pacquiao declared the winner, social media sites lit up like a Christmas tree. An overwhelming amount of support was shown for Marquez, who was visibly distraught at the decision and even later said he would contemplate retirement.
A pair of mixed martial arts fighters, Dan Henderson and Miguel Torres, clearly expressed their collective displeasure, the latter far more aggressively than the former.
First, Henderson:
"Boxing is disgusting. Marquez was absolutely robbed."
Then, the far more animated and emotional Torres:
"Never witnessed a worst robbery in all my life & Bob Arum you can suck my brown (expletive). Tonight boxing died for me."
In fairness, plenty of pundits and fans believed Pacquiao was the rightful winner and the judges scored the fight correctly. However, the Marquez supporters were far more vocal in their displeasure. There seems to be a general consensus among them that it was more important to preserve a potential Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight than award Marquez his rightful victory last night.
There are also more than a few who feel as though it was such a close fight that it literally could have gone either way. A score for Pacquiao would have been good but a score for Marquez would have been as well.
That brings me to you, Maniacs. Surely you caught the fight (who didn't?) and have drawn your own conclusions. Now it's your turn to weigh in. Cast your vote in our poll (after the jump) and leave a comment explaining your decision.
For complete results and recap of the Pacquiao vs. Marquez fight, as well as all the other action on the card from Las Vegas, click here and here.
Did you think Marquez got robbed? Or was "Pacman" the winner?
Poll
Was Juan Manuel Marquez robbed of a decision win against Manny Pacquiao?
Yes. It was close but Marquez won the fight. (3214 votes)
No. Pacquiao took care of business. (2374 votes)
Draw. Neither fighter did enough to win. (896 votes)
Could have gone either way. (769 votes)
7253 total votes


There are 55 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.