Pacquiao turns 34 today

By Rob Smith: Former 8 division world champion Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO’s) turns 34 today, Monday, December 17th, and his career seems to be floundering despite not being all that old. Pacquiao has lost his last two fights and was viciously knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez recently.

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Marquez tests negative for PEDS; he beat Pacquiao fair and square

By Rob Smith: For those fans who were hoping that Juan Manuel Marquez would test positive for performance enhancing drugs so that it would help deflate the impact of his impressive knockout performance against Manny Pacquiao, they got bad news today with the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealing that Marquez – and Pacquiao’s – tests came up negative for PEDs. The only thing you can say now is that Marquez beat Pacquiao fair and square on his talent alone. He did get help with his training with his excellent trainer Nacho Beristain and other team members such as strength and conditioning coach Angel Heredia, but there’s nothing illegal with what Marquez did.

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Did Pacquiao lose to Marquez because he was stepping on his foot when he KO’d him?

By Bill Phanco: It’s interesting to hear the excuses still being brewed about why Manny Pacquiao was knocked senseless by Juan Manuel Marquez last Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The one that we’ve probably heard the most is that some boxing fans think Marquez was using performance enhancing drugs. A lot of these same boxing fans still believe this even though test results came out on Friday revealing that Marquez’s test results for PEDs was negative, as was Pacquiao’s.

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Will Pacquiao be the Next fighter to dump Roach?

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by Robert Jackson: Manny Pacquiao’s devastating loss to long time rival Juan Manuel Marquez, came as a shock to many the world over. But it wasn’t that he lost, it was how he lost, and that he was put to sleep with one second remaining in the round. Manny could have patiently stalked Marquez at the end of that round then let the round end and re-engage in the next round. Fighters throughout the history of boxing have been very careful during the last seconds of a round to avoid the very same thing that happened to Manny Pacquiao this past Saturday night.

Oscar De La Hoya disengaged during the last seconds of a round to prevent a KO and his opponent from stealing the round. Sugar Ray Leonard during the Marvin Hagler fight used the last 30 seconds of each round to come on strong so he COULD steal rounds from Marvelous Marvin…and it worked.

In both cases these tactics were worked out during training camp and implemented during the fights. Sugar Ray Leonard’s cornermen would shout out “30 seconds”, to prompt Leonard to begin his assault. With this in mind I now return to last Saturday night –round 6, where with seconds remaining in the round, Pacquiao engaged with Marquez who he had backed into a corner, attacking sloppily without having his hands in a defensive position or his chin tucked. Marquez countered the lazy right jab that Pacman threw with a right of his own which Pacquiao walked right in to…and the fat lady was singing.

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Roach prefers Pacquiao wait until September before fighting again

By Rob Smith: Freddie Roach doesn’t want Manny Pacquiao to take any chances by coming back too early from his knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, is mentioned wanting him to be back in the ring in April in either a rematch against Marquez or a fight with Brandon Rios. However, Roach thinks April is far too soon for Pacquiao to be getting back in the ring after the way he was knocked out by Marquez last Saturday night in Las Vegas. Roach thinks Pacquiao would be much better off if he waited until September next year before he gets back in the ring.

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Hopkins doesn’t think Pacquiao will ever be the same after his KO loss to Marquez

By Rob Smith: Bernard Hopkins came out tonight on the Jim Rome show and gave his thoughts on whether Manny Pacquiao will be the same fighter after being knocked out viciously in the 6th round last Saturday night by Juan Manuel Marquez. Hopkins doesn’t see Pacquiao being the same fighter after that knockout. Pacquiao was unconscious for close to two minutes, face down on the canvas from Marquez’s right hand.

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Pacquiao a Fallen Hero – Sadness and Disappointment

Pacquiao a Fallen Hero - Sadness and DisappointmentBy Paul Strauss: For fear of being maudlin, there are plenty of us out there with feelings of sadness and regret. It’s the kind of feeling we get when one of our hero’s does something we thought impossible. They lose. It’s often unexpected and painful. We knew all along it was possible, but still we refused to believe it. It’s the kind of feeling that overwhelmed people when Gene Tunney beat Jack Dempsey, or when Rocky Marciano beat Joe Louis. “It can’t be!” That is the thought that flashes across our mind’s eye. It won’t go away. It like the image is stuck on “play”! We want to awaken from the nightmare, but reality has just given us another smack up side the head.. There’s no way to shake it off. Our hero is human after all.

Saturday night at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, Manny Pacquiao was the victim of a sensational kayo at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez (JMM). It was a decisive finishing blow that ended a sensational fight. Referee Kenny Bayless saw no need to administer a count. Some so called experts thought the fight shouldn’t occur. They boo hoo’d it, fearing it might prove to be less than thrilling. What foolishness. We can only hope they’re ashamed of themselves for even thinking such thoughts…

The fourth and greatest of their fights was action packed from beginning to its dramatic conclusion. The end was in doubt right up until JMM’s final punch landed. It was a powerful short right landing flush on the nose and chin of Pacman.

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As it Unfolded, As it Evolved: Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4

As it Unfolded, As it Evolved: Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4By Phenyo Molefe: We all bore witness to what transpired on Saturday evening, to that which shook boxing and those who grace its pastures. I took account of the fight as it unfolded before us but have decided to treat the bout to further review and flee from any hurried assumptions, unveiling how it truly unfolded. Having watched all three previous meetings between these combatants just hours before their fourth encounter, I was further shocked by that which has evolved.

Seldom have I heard an audience voice itself as charged as what the masses did, Marquez has found favour with those seeking his redemption.

Round 1:

Although respect is abound Pacquiao and Marquez both have something to prove. The bout begins with some jousting and notable movement by both fighters as they size each other up. Manny throws the jab and quickly follows through with his left, seeking Marquez’s head. Marquez looks to counter Manny as he has done in previous contests and has already begun paying attention to Manny’s body. It looks like this is going to be a better start than what we saw in their second encounter and may very well surpass their third meeting.

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Hatton advising Pacquiao to retire

By Steve Mabbott: Ricky Hatton wants Manny Pacquiao to retire from boxing due to the bad KO loss that Pacquiao suffered last Saturday night at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. Hatton doesn’t see any point in Pacquiao dragging out his career at this point.

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Pacquiao got too greedy against Marquez

By Brad Cronick: If you want to pick out the #1 reason why Manny Pacquiao lost to Juan Manuel Marquez last Saturday night it’s probably due to Pacquiao’s greed. He had Marquez hurt in the 5th round from a hard combination, and he had been working him over in that round and in the 6th. Marquez bleeding, his nose looked broken, and clearly wasn’t going to be able to last very much longer with the pounding he was taking from Pacquiao. But instead of staying patient in the last seconds of the 6th round, Pacquiao rushed Marquez and got hit with a perfect right that knocked Pacquiao completely out. The rest is history.

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