LAS VEGAS — If Freddie Roach had his druthers, the last opponent he’d want Manny Pacquiao to face again is Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez. But their three fights have been so competitive and so controversial, the clamor for a fourth fight will likely make Roach’s fears come true.
“It’s a fight I wouldn’t rather want to do again,” Roach said late Saturday night. “But I guess we have to.”
Pacquiao-Marquez IV might come as early as next May, especially if Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather continue to avoid each other. Even a Mayweather fight might have to take a back seat until either Pacquiao or Marquez can emerge as a definitive winner in their rivalry. That didn’t happen Saturday night at the MGM Grand, where Pacquiao was awarded a majority decision in a fight many felt Marquez had won. A replay of the bout will be shown Saturday on HBO at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The mostly pro-Marquez sellout crowd booed the decision, thinking Marquez did enough to avenge a draw in 2004 and Pacquiao’s split decision win in 2008. Marquez thought so, too.
“I don’t know what I need to do to change the minds of the judges,” Marquez said after one judge scored it a 114-114 draw, while two other judges favored Pacquiao 115-113 and 116-112. The Post scored the fight 115-113 for Marquez. “I thought I won this fight more clearly than the first two,” Marquez said. “I don’t know what more I need to do.”
It was a difficult fight to score. Neither fighter was ever down, but Marquez continually frustrated Pacquiao with his ability to counterpunch effectively every time the Filipino star attacked. Pacquiao was the aggressor, constantly coming forward, looking to land jabs and quick combinations. But when Pacquiao opened himself up, Marquez countered with uppercuts and right-hands.
Being the busier fighter helped Pacquiao. He landed an average of 14 punches per round, according to CompuBox, while Marquez hit on 11. Power punches connected favored Pacquiao 117-110. The two judges who favored Pacquiao gave him four of the last five rounds.
“He was always backing off and waiting for me to create action and he was going to counter,” said Pacquiao, who complained of cramps in his arches starting in the fourth round.
“My balance was gone. That’s why I was flying through the air when I threw a punch. It’s not the fight I wanted to fight.”
A frustrated Marquez, 38, said he would consider retirement. But a fourth fight with Pacquiao could earn him an additional $10 million.
“I have to do fights in Mexico,” said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. “The only way I get off the hook is to let them fight again.”
Marquez lost to Mayweather in 2009 and offered this prediction should Mayweather and Pacquiao meet: “I think it will be a huge fight,” he said. “But boxing is about styles and I think Mayweather will be very complicated for Pacquiao.”