Five years ago today, something epic happened that broke the internet in ways that are unimaginable. Sacrilegious to tell the truth and the way that popular culture is set up, we are still seeing glimpses of this today.
It was a boxing match that will forever live in infamy and altered the way the world looked at one of pugilism’s greats: Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao.
The trilogy between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez was one of the greatest rubber matches in history, and just when the world thought it couldn’t get any better, the two decided to dance one more time.
Their first pairing was in 2004 and ended in an epic draw, where Marquez retained the WBA Super and IBF featherweight titles.
Fights of the Decade: Marquez vs. Pacquiao I (HBO Boxing)
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The fight was also for The Ring and lineal featherweight titles. Four years later in 2008, they did it again, with the WBC super featherweight and the vacant The Ring and lineal super featherweight titles on the line, and Pacquiao walked away the victor with a split decision.
It left the public clamoring for more as many were unconvinced as to who was the better little man of the division.
Marquez vs Pacquiao II: Highlights (HBO Boxing)
Subscribe to HBO Sports: http://itsh.bo/10qIJDl Watch highlights of Manny Pacquiao’s thrilling split decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez. The fight originally aired on March 15, 2008. HBO Boxing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hboboxing HBO Boxing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HBOboxing HBO Boxing Official Site: http://itsh.bo/HQslC8. HBO Sports on HBO GO http://itsh.bo/ij8oqS.
In 2011, Pacquiao cemented his dominance over the Mexican legend in the welterweight division with a majority decision victory that brought him the WBO belt. All was right in Pac-Man’s world, until the following year when the two did it one more time and Marquez shook up the world.
Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez III (GP promo)
Become a fan of Gorilla Productions at the following: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gorilla-Productions/264226489085 Or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/GPboxing ————————————————————————– Just a short promo to the 3rd fight between Pacquiao and Marquez, scheduled to take place November 12th. Hope you like it.
On December 8, 2012, they returned to the place where they first met, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for one more dance. The fight was for the WBO’s “Champion of the Decade” belt and during the fight, Mrquez knocked down Pacquiao in the 3rd round with a looping right hook.
In round five, Pacquiao returned the favor, knocking down Mrquez and bringing the crowd to their feet with a barn-burner fight occurring right in front of them. In the 6th round, Pacquiao went on the offensive and Marquez, who knew he was behind on the scorecards and with just 1 second left in the 6th round, countered Pacquiao’s jab with an overhand right, sending Pacquiao’s face flat on the canvas.
Stiff and clearly knocked out, Referee Kenny Bayless kneeled over Pac-Man waving his hands at the spectacle before him. Although, Pacquiao took two of the first three bouts, the Marquez knockout made such an impression that you almost don’t even remember the earlier encounters.
Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez 4 Highlights HD
Uploaded by William L. Canter on 2017-04-15.
Pacquiao, who had not been knocked out in over 13 years since his loss to Medgeon Singsurat in 1999, remained unconscious for several minutes, causing a meme storm on the social media grid comparable to Hurricane Katrina.
Eventually, the fight was named the “Fight of the Year” by The Ring Magazine and also Marquez was bestowed with the “Knockout of the Year”, “International Fight of the Year” and the “International Fighter of the Year” by boxing statistics web portal, BoxRec.com.
In August of this year, Mrquez announced his retirement from professional boxing after a 21-year career. He lost a unanimous decision to Timothy Bradley and then beat Mike Alvarado in 2014 for the WBO International welterweight title as his last fight.
Pacquiao also retired but then returned to a controversial loss against Jeff Horn in Australia. No one will ever forget the amazing four-part saga that these two delivered, but their last fight will forever be remembered for Marquez’s 6th round brilliance.
