Done Deal: Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

Manny Pacquiao took Juan Manuel Marquez' belt via a split decision in a very close fight to become the new WBC Super Featherweight Champion of the world at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The three ringside judges scored the fight, 115-112, 114-113 for Pacquiao, and 115-112 for Marquez.

The fight was a classic one between two brave and determined warriors who battled from the first round until the end of the fight. It was a nip and tuck slugfest that gave the fans their money’s worth for the night.

The Champion won the first round but Pacquiao came back to win the second. In round three, the Filipino sensation decked Marquez who was stunned and looked wobbly but couldn’t finish him off as Marquez was saved by the bell. Manny Pacquiao took the 4th round with ease with vicious hard punches but again failed to finish the game champ.

Marquez' took the fifth and sixth rounds with his counter- punching prowess but the Pacman came back to take the seventh. Marquez’ best round was the eight when he rocked Pacquiao with power punches to the face. He failed to sustain his intensity though in the next round as Pacquiao peppered him with timely power hits. It was the same story with the 10th round as Pacquiao continued his assault with more telling blows to the face of his opponent.

However, the champion threw more punches and connected better than the challenger in the penultimate and last rounds to come back into contention that put more spice into the already intense and heated rivalry not only between the two seasoned pugilists but among their rabid supporters.

The split decision in favor of Manny Pacquiao drew loud protests from some quarters citing that Marquez was the better fighter statistics- wise as shown in the Compu-box scorecards but to me his edge in the punches thrown and landed over Manny Pacquiao was negated by the knockdown in the third round.

Also, to the uninitiated, I’d like to point out that the fight was scored on the basis of the fighter’s performance on a per round basis not on the total number of punches unleashed during the fight.

That’s why even if Marquez connected more punches in the fight especially in the 8th round when Pacquiao, bothered by the cut on his right eye preferred to just cruise rather than engage Marquez toe-to-toe, Manny still leads in the scorecards (he came back and won rounds 9 and 10 where he rocked Marquez several times with solid combinations to earn a three- points cushion) going into the last two rounds.

It should be duly noted that Marquez won the 11th and 12th rounds which make them both winning 6 rounds apiece of their unfinished business rematch in my card.

And by using the 10-9 Scoring System employed by the World Boxing Council and the Nevada Athletic Commission, Pacquiao won by a point in my book by virtue of his 10- 8 score when he dropped the defending champion to the canvass with a vicious left hook in the third round which proved to be the eventual difference in the fight.

Here's my score of the Fight...

Round 1: 10-9 Marquez
Round 2: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 3: 10-8 Pacquiao
Round 4: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 5: 10-9 Marquez
Round 6: 10-9 Marquez
Round 7: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 8: 10-9 Marquez
Round 9: 10-9 Pacquiao
Round 10: 10- 9 Pacquiao
Round 11: 10- 9 Marquez
Round 12: 10- 9 Marquez


Here's a glimpse of the Awesome Fight---







Visit: Unfinished Business: Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez for the Full Fight.

Unfinished Business

Ring Magazine Super Featherweight Champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and WBC Super Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico who battled to a controversial draw in 2004 is set to meet in the ring on the 15th of March at the Mandalay Bay Resorts and Casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The fight dubbed "Unfinished Business" is the much awaited rematch between the two best fighters in the world today and is designed to settle once and for all questions on who's the better fighter between them.

The fight is scheduled to be shown on HBO Pay-per-view come Saturday night.

Here's a video of their 2004 fight at 126 lbs and see for yourself why this is the most awaited fight of the year---





Visit: Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez for the Full Fight

Mao Asada @ the 2008 4 Continents Championships

Japanese Figure Skating sensation, Mao Asada recently ruled the 2008 Four Continents Championships held on February 11-17 in Goyang, South Korea. She captured the gold on her first try against the best figure skaters in the world (sans the Europeans, of course) which is an omen of things to come for the pretty 17- year old ice marvel.

Her effortless and silky moves on the ice are a joy to watch. Her beautiful face belies the tenacity and determination not seen in many people her age. Her achievements at such a young age mirrors her awesome talent that will make her a force to reckon with in the ice skating rink for years to come. Her skills and techniques are impeccable and her beauty and grace immense.

She is to my mind not only the best but also the loveliest figure skater around. She is the complete package and the personification of what a figure skater should be--

A Ballerina.


Once again, I will be rooting for her as she vies for the Ladies’ Singles gold and face her equally talented nemesis Yu- Na Kim of Korea this coming March 17- 23 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Israel Vasquez versus Rafael Marquez III

Here's one of the candidates for Boxing's Fight of the Year...





Israel Vazquez (42-4-0) vs Rafael Marquez (37-4-0)
WBC Super Bantamweight Championship
Home Depot Center
Carson, CA USA
March 1, 2008





Visit: Israel Vasquez versus Rafael Marquez' for more of the 12 Rounds of non-stop slam-bang affair.


Video Credits: mannycdo & boxing251213