Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4: Last Man Standing

By Boxing News - 12/13/2012 - Comments

Image: Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4: Last Man StandingBy Rasheed Catapang: Manny Pacquiao, the face of boxing for the longest time, hit the canvass and lost the fight. He lost all consciousness as well. Perhaps for the better. Because what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

At least for 2 minutes – that seemingly forever stretch of time he was face-down comatose. After which, upon waking up, grim reality presented itself. This time appearing harsher than it already was.

Battered and down, Pacquiao’s god was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile the Angel Heredia was seen celebrating by Marquez side.

The “fallen” in a dark corner could relate to how Pacquiao must have felt – once up high that all of a sudden was at the bottom of the pit. Unnoticed amongst the crowd with mouth agape, he could prove to be Pacquiao’s only friend.

After all, the devil is in the details. And so, Pacquiao might pick up salvation there. Though not the redemption he so badly needed.
How so?

Well, Marquez was one bad ass Avenger on Saturday night. He was Heredia’s Captain America flattening Pacquiao with a hulk smash. But His intimidating new physique was more akin to Jekyll and Hide.

Marquez throughout his career softened his opponents through the accumulation of punches. It’s usually a long kiss goodnight with the Marquez of old (or the old Marquez) as was clearly demonstrated in his fight with Juan “the baby bull” Diaz who ate massive amounts of counter rights before falling down, unable to beat the count. He’s always been a matador guiding the bull to it’s slow and inevitable demise, often a picture of a sweet dance. Never a butcher with blunt force, not even once.

Not until Saturday that is.

Pacquiao was always supposed to be the force of nature. The hideous beast with the destructive fist exhibiting one punch power. He was still that as clearly seen on fight night. But just Something that at 39 years old, Marquez miraculously surpassed.

Marquez previously drank urine to improve his chances of winning. It’s a fair question to ask what potent elixir from Heredia this time around had he taken.

That was of course what the devil whispered. That there’s an elephant in the room so big you just can’t ignore it. So, we didn’t.

Having said that, Pacquiao-Marquez 4 was a fight for the ages. The type of Armageddon boxing sorely needs, or heaven for those with eyes to see it.

It was two ultra-elite fighters never giving an inch, conceding nothing to the opposing side. It was a brutal yin and yang while it lasted, a warring left and right equal to the very end until that devastating doomsday punch by Marquez.

Between boxing gods, winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing. Something Marquez would no longer be denied.

Marquez is crazy tough when the tough gets going. Pacquiao took him each and every time to a deep dark place but he has never wavered, coming out stronger after every fight. What could not kill him only made him stronger. He hanged on and gave as good as he got. The mindset that set him apart from champions like Cotto or Mosley. Even from Mayweather.
Cotto was on his bike, moving away after tasting Pacquiao’s power. Mosley preferred to touch gloves than risked getting punched. While Mayweather never even contemplated getting inside the ring with Pacquiao. Marquez, always the gunslinger, embraced the pain and endured. He asked for more, welcomed a world of hurt just to chase the one that got away. His reward – being the last man standing.

Just because you deserve it doesn’t mean it would be given to you. So Marquez rightfully took matters into his own hands.

That wasn’t Las Vegas where he decapitated Pacquiao’s head. That was Rome. And Juan Manuel Marquez was it’s new Emperor.



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