LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez had legend to live up to Saturday night, fighting for the third time since 2004. Before their main event bout, the late Joe Frazier was given a memorial silent 10-count after his death last week at age 67.
The memory that surfaced first was of Frazier brawling through three fights with Muhammad Ali, what remains the great boxing trilogy. It was a back-and-forth rivalry that ended in Ali’s victory in 1975’s “Thrilla in Manila,” when Frazier fought through a 14th round blinded by his own blood and Ali barely able to stand from exhaustion.
That classic built the backdrop Saturday for Pacquiao and Marquez. But after 12 sensational back-and-forth rounds, after what seemed to be a close victory for Marquez, the judges handed Pacquiao a majority decision.
Judges scored the bout 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112 for Pacquiao. Marquez, instead, walked out of the ring to cheers and chants of “Marquez! Mar-quez!” Pacquiao, during a post-fight interview, was rained on with boos and jeers.
Marquez was a master counter-puncher throughout, fielding Pacquiao’s bouncing blows and coming back with long body shots and jabs. A classic ninth round went both ways — Marquez landing combinations, followed by Pacquiao’s jabs. They gassed, then came back. Going straight at each other. And Pacquiao finished the final 10 seconds with more pep.
But Marquez stayed solid down the stretch and seemed to have decision in hand. It was the most controversial fight in a collection of controversy between them. Pacquiao and Marquez traded onslaughts in two earlier fights that ended in a draw and a split decision. Marquez claims he won both — he wore a T-shirt on a tour with Pacquiao in the Philippines that said “Marquez beat Pacquiao twice.”
The Pacquiao-Marquez series will trail the Ali-Frazier fights as among the best boxing trilogies of the modern era, along with Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe (1992-95), Sugar Ray Leonard-Robeto Duran (1980-89) and Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales (2000-04).
But instead of a clear victor through three fights between Pacquiao and Marquez, boxing met its most recent oddity.
