Revisiting Manny Pacquiao v Juan Manuel Marquez I

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are the current number 1 and 2 pound for pound kings of boxing according to Ring magazine. On May 8, 2004, the two men clashed in an epic battle that ended in a draw. One judge scored the fight 115-110 for Pacquiao. Another judge scored it 115-110 for Marquez. The third judge scored the fight even at 113-113. Here is how I would have scored it:

Round 1. Unbelievable! Marquez was winning closely until the first knockdown. Two more knockdowns later and the bloodied Marquez was lucky to have survived the onslaught. Two points for the first knockdown and a point for the last two. (10 to 6, Pacquiao).

Round 2. Marquez appeared to have his legs back, but he signed up for the all you can eat Filipino left hand buffet. (20 to 15, Pacquiao).

Round 3. Marquez picked off a good percentage of Pacquiao's flurries, but both fighters landed quality blows. I had Marquez winning a close one and his combination at the end of the round solidified my card. (29 to 25, Pacquiao).

Round 4. If Stephen Hawking were a boxer, his name would be Juan Manuel Marquez. The ring intelligence he has cannot be compared to any other contemporary fighter. Marquez is turning this into his fight and won the round. (38 to 35, Pacquiao).

Round 5. Pacquiao landed his shots, but mostly in response to being drilled by Marquez. This round is interesting for a judge because to me it signaled a power shift. Marquez's punches seem to inflict more damage. (47 to 45, Pacquiao).

Round 6. Another round for Marquez. Manny's wild punches were countered the entire round. (56 to 55, Pacquiao).

Round 7. Pacquiao used better angles to approach his target--Marquez's face. I had the round extremely close until the final flurry. (66 to 64, Pacquaio).

Round 8. Very close round, but on my card I awarded it to Marquez because it appeared to me that he inflicted the most damage. (75 to 74, Pacquaio).

Round 9. Remember round 8? This round was closer and I gave it to Marquez. Juan Manuel owned the first half of the round. Even though Manny exploded in the last minute, he ate counter punches for his trouble. (84 to 84, even).

Round 10. Speed differential made all the difference and Pacquiao's straight left found its mark again. (94 to 93, Pacquaio).

Round 11. Both men appeared exhausted. Marquez dug deeper to pull out the round. (103 to 103, even).

Round 12. Final round of the fight and this time it was Pacquiao who dug deeper. (113 to 112, Pacquiao).

As we all know, the real outcome of this fight was a draw. What you may not know, however, is that it should have been a split decision victory for Manny Pacquiao. The judge who scored the fight 113 to 113 had the first round as a 10 to 7 round for Pacquiao instead of 10 to 6. The Association of Boxing Commissions recommends a 10 to 6 score if a fighter is knocked down more than twice in a round.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-8370-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m5d22-Revisiting-Manny-Pacquiao-v-Juan-Manuel-Marquez-I