By Hermie Rivera
 
Boxing or what some call the Sweet Science is all about heart.
 
That’s why Manny Pacquiao eked out a well-deserved victory over Juan Manuel Marquez  due largely to a ticker twice bigger than Mexico’s external debt.
 
End of discussion?
 
“Not quite” says an esteemed colleague John Chavez who insists otherwise:  “While Pacquiao might possess a ticker twice the size of Mexico’s external debt, Marquez, at 34 years of age showcased an equally large heart twice the size of Manny Pacquiao’s stable of alleged mistresses.
 
In battling a prime “Pacman” possessing a five year youth advantage, the Mexico City counter-puncher fought gallantly picking himself up off the canvas in order to show the world that Mexican fighters are what truly drives the sport of boxing.

Unlike Pacquiao, Marquez is one of the many great fighters to come from a country that has redwood-like roots embedded within the sweet science.
 
While the bout between “Dinamita” and the Filipino legend has provided much fuel for controversy, you can’t take away from the future hall-of-famer who gave Manny all he could handle for every second of every round.

The fight itself was a beautiful specimen of counter-punching in Marquez and controlled aggression in Pacquiao.
 
For those spectators that favor the come forward style of a pressure fighter, they scored the bout for Pacquiao. For those that favor the tactical, but equally effective matador-type approach to boxing, they tended to favor the Mexican.

Being an aficionado of the sport, I appreciated the subtle effectiveness in Marquez’s ability to sneak his punches inside the slightest of openings as Manny showed a vast improvement in his defensive capabilities.
 
It was a magnificent display by “Dinamita” as he showed the world that there is more than one facet to Mexican prize fighting.

He showed that not only does the warrior blood pump fiercely through their veins but also that they are an extremely intelligent group of soldiers that can out-fight and out-think their opponents whoever they might be.
 
If you’ve been watching boxing for quite some time and genuinely have a firm grasp of the sport, you’d understand that Juan Manuel Marquez was the true victor in the March 15 rematch.
 
End of story.”
 
Wow! Son of a real gun!
 
Careful John, you might just re-ignite another Filipino-Spanish war with that kind of anti-Pinoy belligerency.
 
Ask Recah Trinidad.

Showing Fans That There’s More to Boxing Than Just Winning

By John Chavez

This past Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez showed the world exactly how true prize fighters “get down”. Both men displayed what they do best with “Dinamita” playing the role of matador to the ever aggressive bull-style of the “Pacman”.

It was a bout that showcased why boxing encompasses all of the drama and developments of an award-winning script.

It was plain to see in the early evening hours on Saturday that this fight would most definitely surpass the electricity felt from Pacquiao’s most recent bout with Marco Antonio Barrera in October of 2007. You could sense that the stakes were much higher being that many people considered Marquez to be the last Mexican standing in addition to being overly determined to avenge the defeats of his fellow countrymen in Morales and Barrera.

The entire country of Mexico was riding on the Mexico City resident’s 130 pound frame.

As for Manny Pacquiao supporters… there were several of them in attendance.

More like several tens of thousands as they flocked in droves to Sin City in order to cheer and support their hero to victory.

In the opinion of this hack labeled “The Boxing Bookie”, this rematch solidified the greatness of both Marquez and Pacquiao being that they showed the world that boxing is a tremendous blend of science, grit, heart, dedication, focus, and a whole lot of balls.

The crowd brought the flint and the combatants brought the flame creating an atmosphere on par with any of the most dramatic fights in recent times.

While Marquez attempted to utilize his well developed counter punching tactics throughout the night, Pacquiao showed his development as a fighter leaving only the slightest of openings for “Dinamita” to capitalize on. While I had officially predicted the Mexican to defeat Pacquiao by decision, it was a bout that could have easily gone either way for each participant being that several rounds, especially the seventh and eleventh were extremely close in terms of scoring.

While supporters of both warriors will argue until their death as to who was the clear victor this past Saturday night, it’s boxing as a whole that came out as the definitive winner.

The sweet science needs more action-filled championship bouts such as Marquez-Pacquiao II in order to leave each paying customer satisfied with their purchase. The fight itself delivered in every aspect and most of those tuning in will probably continue to follow the career paths of both men including the sport as a whole.

Other News and Notes from Las Vegas:

Apparently Erik “El Terrible” Morales is enjoying retirement with little chance of returning to the ring anytime soon being that he’s been seen hovering around the super middleweight limit if not more. Hopefully “El Terrible” will leave his legacy intact and continue to engorge his body with foods he deprived himself for years while having to boil down to unnatural weight restrictions. Piles and piles of carnitas anyone?

Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions seem to have a friendly and at times not-so friendly rivalry in the air as both Richard Schaefer and Bob Arum let off some verbal jabs and right crosses at one another during the post-fight press conference. It’s great to see some fire in the promotional firms as it livens up the atmosphere and let’s the world know that competition will always remain fierce in boxing.

Steve “Two Pounds” Forbes seems very focused on upsetting the “Golden Boy” this coming May as he’s looking to surprise Oscar with his strength and toughness. Forbes gave much praise to both Marquez and Pacquiao for their great performances but is looking to outdo both of them as well as the Vazquez-Marquez trilogy bout by giving fans a “Fight of the Year”-type battle in just a few short months.

Michael “White Gorilla” Marley laughed all the way to the cashier at the Mandalay Bay sports book as the crazed individual cashed in what it seemed like 7 or 8 winning tickets on the closely contested rematch. Good move by this amusing individual as it now seems that he’ll be able to raise the wages of myself and Ricardo Lois by at least double if not triple.

Hermie Rivera attempted to leave the “Boxing Bookie” in a comatose state, foaming at the mouth with his deeply appreciated present of two extremely large bottles of Crown Royal and Belvedere. Thanks Hermie… my liver feels as though the “Pacman” himself used it as target practice.

Preston Wada conceded that although he lost over $30,000 betting on Marquez this past weekend, Manny has vastly improved as a fighter and deserves his pound-for-pound status. He has no qualms about the decision stating, “That damn Manny is one bad ass m$%#$@#@!”

Zab Judah seems to have mellowed out in his “old” age as he was rather subdued throughout the press conference announcing his May 31 bout with “Sugar” Shane Mosley. Hopefully this won’t translate into a lack of fire when the two speedsters square off as I’m picking “Super” to upset the veteran Mosley being that he’s recently opened up as a slight underdog at the MGM Mirage sports book. Nasty left hand my friends…

A big shout out goes to TouchPoint Marketing for assisting in giving boxing fans a break from the Pay-Per-View rampage due to their superior relationships and ability to bring on corporate sponsors such as Tecate, Southwest, Rockstar, and Cazadores. Hopkins-Calzaghe and De la Hoya-Forbes will take place on regular HBO rather than HBO Pay-Per-View which is based on the increased level of corporate sponsorship for both shows.

In closing… Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez deserve all the credit in the world for putting together two magnificent performances that brought together two nations to celebrate a sanctioned war. They represented their proud countries to the fullest and showed the world why boxing’s health has much more to do with the quality of the bouts rather than the heavyweight division. Both men should hold their heads extremely high as there was nobody on earth that could have competed with either man on Saturday night based on the elevated level of skill and prowess that they showed.

It was one for the record books, one for the ages, and one to look back on as one of the best of 2008.

Boxing isn’t back…. it never went anywhere. It’s just here bringing us the best and hungriest of what the sport has to offer.

I can’t recall a better time to be a boxing fanatic and this past weekend gave me much ammunition to continue pushing the fact that there is nothing on earth that compares to a highly anticipated fight that delivers on all cylinders.

Thank you Juan Manuel, Manny, and all those that made the fight a reality.

PS. Big props to all the Pacquiao and Marquez supporters for letting their warriors do the fighting in the ring. While the Mexico-Philippines rivalry has grown to an exorbitant level over the past several years, they still maintain a level or respect for one another which is great to see. There’s no need for an immediate rematch as of this moment but I’m sure we’ll see another hungry Mexican attempt to dethrone the absolute beast of a man that is Manny Pacquiao. I have to hand it to you Pac-maniacs… your guy is one tough nut to crack.

Pacquiao Insider Rivera: Marquez Can Only Win With Lucky Leprechaun Punch!
By John Chavez

LAS VEGAS–They may not run in the same social circles, given their age difference, but Boxingconfidential.com has two cracked, I mean crack reporters in the San Francisco Bay Area. One is John Chavez and the other is veteran Pinoy reporter Hermie Rivera.

While I have been tied up on important business at The Playboy Club and Ghostbar at The Palms, Chavez and Rivera has been covering the daily doings of Team Pacquiao and Team Marquez nearby at the Mandalay Bay like seven eighths of the world is covered by oceans. Me, I am like one of those social parasites who arrives fashionably late at the party.

Anyway, our Roving Rivera, who seems magnetized to Pacman whenever Megamanny lands on U.S, shores, phoned up to give his last-minute take on the Big Rematch. Hermie’s been reading his tea leaves like a psycho, er I mean a physic, and he likes what he is seeing.

“The weight is perfect,” Rivera said. “Manny told me in Los Angeles that he wanted to surprise everyone by coming in just a bit under the limit so 129 is a very good weight as that was right at his target. I think Manny said he would make 128 but he is only one pound above that. Now he will eat and replenish himself with plenty of fluids so he will be a monster when he climbs into the ring.”

As far as the outcome of the bout, being a loyal Pinoy and Manny pal, he sees MP winning either by knockout or by decision but definitely winning.

What shocked me, the jaded veteran, was Rivera’s mentioning that Marquez can also win but can only win in one manner.

“Lucky punch, if he can catch Manny coming in to attack and he nails Manny with a lucky punch,” Rivera said. “That is really only the one way that the Mexican fighter can win, can score the big upset here.”

But Rivera said Pacman’s marked improvement from their May 2004 first bout makes that occurrence something that cannot happen.

“This is not the same Manny that Marquez fought four years ago. If you watch the tape, you will see Manny hopping all over like a grasshopper and so often really off balance. Four years later, he is so much more polished and has much better technique. I simply don’t see Manny leaving such an opening for Juan Manuel to score the KO with such a lucky blow.”

When last seen, Rivera and Chavez were seen inhaling vodka shots in the Russian Vodka Room, singing “Manny Boy” to the tune of Irish tearjerker “Danny Boy” and proudly wearing their “Let’s Get Ready To Stumble” tee-shirts.

For Hammering Hermie, the Lucky Leprechaun in this fight will be the guy who speaks Tagalog.

Advocate Arum: Pacquiao, At Peak Of His Powers, Will Stop Marquez In Round 8 Or 9!

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW BY HERMIE RIVERA

Here’s a surprise. Uncle Bob Arum tells Boxingconfidential’s ace reporter, Hammering Hermie Rivera, that Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez will make his greatest ring performance March 15 in Las Vegas against Manny Pacquiao.

Here’s a non-suprise. The 76-year-old promoter and head of Top Rank says that won’t be enough to stop the Pinoy idol because, as Arum sees it, Pacman is reaching the peak of his pugilisic powers at the age of 28.

“When they fought before, Manny was a one-handed fighter,” Arum said. “He just used that left hand like a howitzer. Now he can really box along with his punching power and he uses both hands so well. Manny is also in the best condition of his boxing life, far better than the shape he was in for his last two bouts.”

Hermie asked Uncle Bob for a prediction.

“I see Manny being too strong and powerful. He will stop Marquez in the eighth or ninth round.”

By Hermie Rivera
 
San Francisco, CA. — “The best conditioned Manny Pacquiao will face Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15″ the Filipino boxing hero crowed as he met the press on his first Bay Area visit since his torturous draw with Agapito Sanchez at the Civic Center.
 
Even with a torpid recollection of that bloody fight wherein the Dominican roughneck tried robbing him of his newly acquired title — Pacquiao wants another pugnacious scrap in his pet city by the bay.
 
And in an outright dig at Marquez’ brag of a more rounded training for their rematch, Pacquiao insists his trainers are superior and have negated whatever advantages the Mexican champ gained by his early start.
 
So then, both warriors are in shape–their best-ever conditioning brought about by their exacting workouts.
 
Expect a barn-burner when these intrepid boxers collide at Mandalay Bay Events Center in glitzy Vegas..
 
This is a must-see thriller made compelling by their mutual enmity engendered by their drawn match four years back.
 
Since that disputed draw at the MGM Grand, Pacquiao has matured while Marquez aged.
 
Marquez turns 35 in August and whether he admits it or not, unwanted extra years places one in a situation that entails difficulty for the aging fighter. 
 
A clear-cut winner will emerge in the ‘unfinished business’  featuring today’s remarkable talents in the junior lightweight division.
 
Manny Pacquiao who is not only strong but skillful as well remains the favorite in the posted odds at various betting centers. (Illegal bookies included.)
 
Any of the two combative warriors digging too big a hole in the early rounds will find it tough recovering lost ground.
 
And who’ll  pocket all the  marbles in this awaited return bout?
 
It will be highly unlikely for the Mexican defending champ to upset the Filipino lefty who’s on a roll—on a tear, if you please with a ten win streak.
 
Pacquiao has been ruthlessly productive since losing to Eric Morales.
 
Unless Marquez starts growing steroid-laden hormones (quite late in the day right?), Pacquiao will have his butt whupped when the battle smoke clears at the Mandalay.
 
Sorry Juan Manuel but it will take a lot more than a great camp to overcome the smooth rhythm of the power punchin’ Pacman.