PACQUIAO-MARQUEZ: EXCITING OR BORING
By Reni M. Valenzuela
Great fights happen when styles meet their match.
The unforgettable Ali-Frazier, Barrera-Morales, Gatti-Ward, Zale-Graciano,
Holyfield-|Bowe and Leonard-Duran were exceptional trilogies that were made
under appropriate times and conditions, and with no ifs and buts. They were
among the historic bouts that showed the world how boxing matchups can be
classic and so exciting.
It was Juan Manuel Marquez that Freddie Roach feared the most as Manny
Pacquiao’s opponent that’s why they waited too long to make the trilogy if not
altogether discard the staging of it had it not been for the clamor just to determine
with finality who between the two was the better boxer and true winner. Pacquiao
had two previous closely contested bouts with Marquez which declaration of
winners could have both gone either way.
The Pacquiao-Marquez odd is 8-1 in favor of Pacman and that makes it look like
impossible for Marquez to beat Pacquiao. But taking into account the style of
Juan Manuel Marquez coupled with his resiliency and pugilist heart, 8-1 is an odd
that can be overturned in the actual fight. And this could be the matchup that may
tell us again why styles make fights.
Pacquiao easily beat David Diaz but that doesn’t make Marquez a better fighter
than Diaz. The same is the case with Oscar De la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel
Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley. Unlike these
boxers, Marquez simply has “the style” to counter Pacquiao’s speed and rugged
sleek attacks whatever the game plan may be for the rival camps. And that’s the
bottomline..
Marquez doesn’t supposedly need a miracle to pull one of the biggest upsets in
boxing history. Though if the fight was made much earlier, the trilogy could have
been perceived as highly interesting. But three years thence since their second
encounter plus the fight would be on a catch weight of 144 lbs. instead of the ideal
140 lbs., the odd’s wide gap can be perceived justified. And Marquez winning the
fight on November 12 can likewise be reasonably perceived as a big big upset.
And that’s how a potentially very exciting matchup can be so dull and boring: For
that’s how a boxing matchup is made these days: the Arum-Roach or Arum-Konz
way.
Thin line difference between doing a thing nearly right and exactly right is the
same seemingly unimportant line that people usually ignore but leads them to one
of only two inescapable destinations with heaven and hell of a gap and difference.
Faux or triumph.
renimvalenzuela@haoo.com
17 August 2011
