COME Sunday, expect the Philippines to once again come to a virtual standstill. This is barely an exaggeration. Go to church on Sunday whenever Manny Pacquiao has a bout, and noticeably fewer people will be in attendance. If we believe the stories, coup attempts are postponed, and even the communist insurgents temporarily cease operations so they, too, can watch Pacquiao in action.
So, how will the Filipino hero fare this time around? Will he dismantle yet another proud Mexican fighter in his rematch with World Boxing Council superfeatherweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez?
Whatever happens, we’ve got it covered. Keep visiting The Pacquiao Files for the latest updates, and for our coverage of Pacquiao-Marquez II as it unfolds this Sunday.
To whet your appetite, check out the Sports channel of INQUIRER.net VDO for our Pacquiao clips — including all 12 rounds of last year’s epic encounter between Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera. And be sure to keep checking INQUIRER.net VDO this Sunday 
March 31st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Senor Manny Pacquiao’s win, does he deserve it? I watched the game and scored it a point win for Marquez. Other so called boxing pundits saw it 3-1 for Marquez. Two of the three judges gave it to Pacquiao. Pacquiao believes that he won. Marquez believes that he was cheated. For the Filipinos, even if Pacquiao lost in that bout, he will still be the people’s champion. Even if he was knockout and battered he will always be the hero that brought honor and pride to the Filipino nation. I shouted invectives at him while watching because he can’t deliver the blows that I was expecting of him while I was on my third bottle of cola and 2nd pack of Doritos and popcorn. I was calling him names because Manny was slow and can’t follow up a good knockout punch at the 4th, 5th and 6th round. I was already on my 8th pack of popcorn and 5th bottle of cola when it was the 12th round and Marquez still punching at will at Pacquiao and Pacquiao can’t knock him out. Again all those words and name calling were uttered far more damaging than Marquez punches. When the verdict was announced and Manny Pacquiao won, I was booing the decision wildly because he was not able to knock out Marquez. But while I was doing this I realized that there was something wrong and no longer with the decision but with my actions. Manny, the challenger,was there boxing and putting his life on the line while I was there eating my popcorn and drinking my cola. I realized that if I was Manny, the Filipino, staking my life and some Filipinos are booing me as a result of a verdict..I wouldn’t care enough. I am the one boxing for the Filipino nation not them. I was the one being punished not them. So even if they explode and be upset on the judgement I don’t care. I will celebrate and bask with the glory of a world championship belt and I will jump with joy knowing that I was the one showing the world that there is something good that can come out from the Philippines. I believe I won because I punched my heart out. The judges knew very well that I won because I have the heart to punched back and stand up against the reigning champion. The rest of the world saw and believe that I won because they saw the courage of a great Filipino challenger and his magnificent skill and great punches that he had thrown better than Marquez. Manny was there fighting, defending, staking his life, and doing his best to win not just for his glory but for the glory of a nation striving to make a respectable name in the global community. Manny won simply because that’s how the world sees it.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Recah should read this article from ESPN.Com & comment on its veracity:
Marquez suffered two cuts during the fight. The first, a small cut beside his right eyebrow, was insignificant. The second, a horrible gaping wound on his right eyelid, was sustained in Round 9 and was so deep that it filleted open.
Thereafter, Marquez’s trainer, Nacho Beristain, could be seen on television packing what appeared to be a long yellow string soaked in an undetermined liquid solution into the wound, covering the cut with Vaseline, and sending Marquez out for the next round with the string still inside the wound. This appeared to happen after both Rounds 9 and 11. The HBO telecast was inconclusive regarding what happened after Round 10.
In Nevada, it’s illegal to apply any medication — except coagulants Avetine, thrombin and epinephrine — to a cut during a fight. It’s also illegal to place a foreign object inside a cut and leave it there during a round. But the ring physician assigned to Marquez’s corner appeared not to notice — or maybe he noticed and just didn’t care.
–Thomas Hauser
ESPN.com
March 21st, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I am a Filipino Canadian and all of us here in Canada are avid fans of Manny Pacquiao. Defeating Marquez in the last fight was a perect win and I guess Pacquiao had already won since their first match. I have a feeling that Marquez/ camps doesn’t really want to be dethroned that is why they are very eager for a 3rd rematch. I hope Pacquiao and his Coach/promoter will not grab their offer regrdless of how much they can offer just to have another fight. Manny, you had proven yourself as a good fighter and a champion, accepting their offer will mean a lot to all of your millions of fans, their offer has a motive and you be cannot sure if you’ll gonna win that fight. I would advice then not to give in to their offers even if the pay would reached 10 million. It is better that you have that crown instead of the money- win or lose, at least that crown will prove and can attest that you are such a great boxer. You are not greedy manny, and if ever your promoter was such, please do not let yourself to be capitalized by them. You can never be sure for a 3rd rematch that is why please do not pay attention to this. Think of yourself and your family plus the honor you had brought to our country. Can you afford to break the hearts of the Filipino people if ever you failed ? That is one question you should have to think about Manny. “Exit with grace! “
March 19th, 2008 at 1:01 am
So much has said about the judges decision on pacquiao - marquez II that it was biased and why there was changes in the judges a week before the match. I could say that it was close fight, but the knockdown on 3rd round has given pacquiao the judges nod. It would have generated more questions had Marquez won the match.
For the 3 filipino sports analysts (ronnie nathanielz, ed picson & recah trinidad), who thinks that Marquez should have won the fight, I think they are correct. YES, Marquez could have won the fight, and not our own great Filipino boxer Pacquiao.. ONLY if those 3 analysts were named as judges on that fight.
March 15th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Pacman-Marquez Rematch complimented by goat’s meat delicacies
By Gabriel Ortigoza
After four years since their last fight in 2004 that ended in a controversial draw, Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez and Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao will meet again for the World Boxing Council Super Featherweight Championship called “Marquez/Pacquiao II – Unfinished Business” on March 15, 2008 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marquez was born on 08/23/73 in Mexico City, Mexico. He is 34 years old with a reach of 67” and 5’7” tall. He is an orthodox boxer with an official record of 48-3-1 (35 KO) while Pacquiao was born on 12/17/78 in Bukidnon, Philippines. He is 29 years old with a reach of 67” and 5’6 ½” tall. He is a southpaw boxer with an official record of 45-3-2 (35 KO).
Tomorrow (3/15/08), friends, relatives and co-workers are coming to my house to enjoy, relax and join us in watching this unfinished business between Marquez and Pacquiao. Pay-Per-View’ s price for this show is $59.95 on High Definition channel. My wife is preparing “Kambing” for this event. She will cook papaitan, kaldereta, and kilawin coupled with beer and red wine. By-the-way, the U.S. Department of Motor Vehicle allows 0.08% of alcohol level in the blood. If you drive, don’t drink. If you drink, don’t drive. But if you really can’t stop your urge to drink, then look for your designated driver. Don’t get caught DUI (driving under the influence). It’s bad.
To all boxing enthusiasts, for you to love and be motivated in watching this power-technique sport called boxing, make yourselves involved by scoring every round until the game is over. Appoint yourself a boxing “judge” for just even a short period of time and know how it feels to be one.
Here is a simplified way of scoring a boxing match. All rounds are based on the 10 points score system. The winner of a round receives a perfect score of 10 points. The loser will receive 9 points. However, if there is knocked down in the round the loser gets 8 points while the winner gets 10 points. Furthermore, if there is more than one knocked down in a particular round the loser gets 7 points while the winner gets a perfect score of 10 points. If the boxers show equal fighting ability in the round both will receive 10 points each. At the end of the final round, compute the total scores that were awarded to each boxer. A fighter who gets the highest score is the winner.
Are you ready to score the much awaited “Marquez vs Pacquiao” fight? C’mon, let’s do it! (gabbyortig@ aol.com)
March 15th, 2008 at 10:14 am
read about Paquiao’s smiling over his fast improved body. Hope it will not bea result of the new Gen doping which is said it could be marring the Olypics in China since all what is needed is on the intrnet but there is not yet a real working detection existing.
Manny had some very surprising victories already, like when the other fighter has still several kilos overweight to eliminte with drugs and no eating during the days before the fight, absolute unusual for a boxer and his coach. Or when the other fighter is down, signaling not to fight anymore because of feeling groggy but minutes later gives laughing interviews. We should not forget that boxing,like others too, is first of all a big business and least of all a real sport. And the “sportsmen” have to do what coach and promoter want or they are out. The total demolition of the other Paquiao is not a good omen for Manny.
March 15th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Pacquaio-Marquez Rematch: What to expect
By Mortz c. Ortigoza
Manny Pacquaio’s credentials
Because of his tremendous knock out powered left fist, we can see on Sunday (Philippine dateline) Manny pressing Juan Manuel “Dinamita” by jabbing his right hand, and setting his left hand for a straight, hook, or uppercut.
Manuel Marquez’s credentials
As the less strong fighter, he will be back pedaling clockwise by sneaking his long right counter-punch every time Pacquaio unleashes his power left.
As Pacman chases him by sticking his right led jabs, Dinamita will answer them with his looping left straight or looping left hook that qualify more as a power punch than a stiff jab.
Weakness of Pacquaio
Tendency to lower his left hand by leveling it at his breast after he fired either his right straight or hook.
The same with his right hand after he unleashed his jab.
All of the said shortcomings weakened him in his 2004 campaign against Marquez. It was when the latter kept thrusting his bayonet like fist big time to all of those holes that jarred and slowed Pacquaio.
The justification of Manny that he broke his left hand thus slowed him was hogwash.
Judges in court have these barometers in gauging if a person was telling the truth. They call it Res Gestae and Ante letem motam. The first means startling occurrence, while the second means before a person had a motive to distort the truth as in before the lawsuit was brought.
In the post fight interview with Larry Merchant, the groping Pacquaio blamed his sock (Gee whiz, his sock?) as the culprit why he was not able to give the coup d’grace against Marquez who thrice somersaulted from his left fist. Later and up to present, he kept telling all and sundry that he broke his left fist. Question: If he broke his left fist, why he did not tell Merchant during the interview? Either Res Gestae or Ante letem motam can explain the credibility of his latest statement.
Was the broken fist just sheer crap justification? Or was it Marquez’s calculated aggression and counter-punching that beat Pacman if one looks at the computer box statistics?
What Pacman should do
Since Marquez is the sharpshooter to hit any parts of the head or body of Manny, the latter should hide in a sandbag (i.e: gloves and forearms). This strategy will deflect most of the counterpunching of Marquez as he backpedaled to avoid the sneaking left power punch of his opponent..
This has scientific basis. It was tried by the less powerful and bleeding Rocky Juarez against Marquez a year ago. We saw there Marquez’s backtracking on this tactics as against Marco Barrera’s in and out style of aggression.
Manny is more qualified to emulate this since he got a Katsuka rocket propels grenade on his left hand.
What Marquez should do
If Pacman brings him the said iron-curtain-defense. Then Marquez can do this shell-shock cover too. Nedal Hussein had done this against Pacman in Antipolo, Philippines years ago. He knocked down the latter with his straight from the pipe left fist sneak attacked in the early round.
But the fight was controversially stopped by the Philippine sanctioned referee Carlos Padilla that resulted to the likewise controversial victory of Pacquaio.
With the above scenarios use by both pugs, Will we be seeing a Castillo-Corrales I? The one who has the superiority for an accurate uppercut or hook prevails.
As what economics guru Adam Smith said:” To the inefficient, perish!”
(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)