Juan Manuel Márquez beats Manny Pacquiao - as it happened (2024)

Thanks very much for for reading and for all your emails and tweets. Kevin's report will be online soon.

Well, that was as definitive as it could possibly have been. An incredibly decisive counter punch left Manny Pacquiao face down on the canvas. Pacman was probably leading on points at that point, and there had already been a pair of cancelled-out knockdowns, but that final punch settled the argument. For now.

Pacquiao says:

"I thought I had got him."

"I am so careless."

"I am so overconfident."

"It is a good fight. I am overconfident. I thought I got him."

"If they give us a chance we will fight him [again].

Marquez, via an interpreter, says:

"We knew he was going to come out aggressive. We were able to capitalise on it."

"We knew it was a difficult fight but not impossible to win."

"We had to use our technique and skill and not let Manny connect as he has usually done."

(Was the win down to all those new muscles?) "We worked strength and speed."

(Will there be a fifth fight?) "We will relax and talk to the family."

Marquez is crowned. Pacquiao is head down in the corner.

That was sensational - Pacquiao was looking the stronger and then in the final ten seconds of the round, pacquiao came forward only to lean straight into a huge right hand counter that send him to the canvas. Pacquiao was lying prone, face first on the canvas for quite some time...

There's a huge amount of blood over Marquez's face. Pacquiao is coming forward now, tasting his opportunity. That left jab of Pacman's is doing most of the damage. Right at the end of the round Marquez catches Pacquiao with a huge right and Pacquiao is down. Unable to get back up even though that shot came right at the bell. Marquez has won!

Pacquiao still throwing more left jabs than right. And it's one of those that finally counts: And then Marquez is down - only as far as his left glove. He takes a short standing count. Pacquiao senses victory and charges forward. Marquez looks hurt and wobbles. Pacquiao looks desperate to make his edge count, but can't land a decisive blow. And there's a cut to Marquez's nose.

Guardian unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-8 Marquez.

Southpaw Pacquiao lands several left jabs, but Marquez looks determined, set on his course. As Pacquiao attacks he leaves himself open to some good left jab counters from the Mexican. The pair trade shots in several little explosive bursts. Mrs Pacquiao looking anxious ringside.

Guardian unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-10 Marquez.

Pacquiao moving forward trying to land his big straight lefts - some land, most don't. Marquez is responding by throwing big lefts to the body. And then a huge right from Marquez sends Pacquiao to the canvas. Huge punch. Pacquiao up swiftly but there is no doubt that he was stunned by that big punch. There's a real old scrap at the end of the round as Pacquiao comes back. But that was a dramatic moment.

Guardian unofficial score: Pacquiao 8-10 Marquez.

Pacquiao the first to land a decent combination. Marquez cautious but finally lands a decent bodyshot. Pacquiao also finally lands a pair of good left hand shots to Marquez's head. At the end of the round the Mexican maneouvres Pacman into the corner, but doesn't follow up. An extremely cautious start by Marquez. Do these boxers know each other too well? Is there anything either can do to surprise the other?

Guardian unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-9 Marquez.

The pair bouncing around, neither committing too much too early. The crowd clearly behind Marquez. Pacquiao ducking, moving his head a lot to avoid Marquez blows to the head. Pacquiao the more aggressive, but only fractionally. Certainly not a first round like the one all those years ago when they first met.

Guardian unofficial score: Pacquiao 10-10 Marquez.

...will be at the end of the first round...

Some minor booing for Marquez, who is wearing mainly black shorts. And lots of booing for Pacquiao, wearing mainly grey trunks.

And Mark Brown emails:

Come on Juan Manuel, you can beat this guy. You've done it 3 times before.

Here comes Pacman...

Kevin ringside writes:

This is when the butterflies do a lap. Can only imagine what Pacquiao and Marquez feel like. They've done it three times before against each other and have been around forever, but this is their real final. Bet Pacquiao comes out smiling, though.

And what happened in this ring five years ago tonight? Floyd Mayweather Jnr knocked out Ricky Hatton. Seems longer than that, somehow.

Here comes the Mexican to the strains of The Who...

...followed by some kind of Mexican folk song that I don't recognise but most of the crowd are singing along to. (Send me a link if you know what this song is).

Adalaide Byrd, from Nevada, John Keane, from England, and Steve Weisfeld, of New Jersey.

Ringside Kevin writes:

Crikey, that was some glorious mangling of the old Star Spangled Banner. What a wonderful tradition that is in American sport.... even though this is a fight between a Mexican and a Filipino.

I rather like that the American anthem can be sung/played in so many different manners/styles.

Pacquiao to win on points. And nobody is happy...

Because we haven't had enough buildup, here's a third national anthem...

The crowd are getting into this one...

And so, the final event is finally here. Apologies that it has taken so long getting here - believe me I wouldn't have started this blog quite so long ago if I'd known then when the start time would be...

Farenas gave that his all - he's exhausted and bloody at the end. Gamboa was too good. But also looks like a decent opponent would find him out.

Kevin Mitchell writes:

Well, are you still awake? Almost there. That was a lively little affair, lots of little explosions by Gamboa, blood, knockdowns and a rather tame final round. Be surprised if the Cuban hasn't won it. But then I'm often surprised in this game...

Elsewhere, another Guardian liveblog that started after this one, has already finished: England have beaten India by seven wickets.

Gamboa, wearing the biggest shorts in the universe, red, with blue diagonals and white trim, is still throwing some decent punches, but he's also not bothering to defend with his left. Last round coming up...

Kevin Mitchell ringside writes:

Gamboa a little too co*cky for his own good and walks on to a right that might have finished it right there in the ninth. He's got talent, the Cuban, but no respect for his opponent. Fight in the balance here, if Farenas can get through again, because he has to be trailing. Great atmosphere at ringside - at last.

Eleventh round coming up and that means we are closing in on the Main Event...

And an email from Dunalen:

8 years ago, marquez was a world champion and people believed he was at the end of his career at 31. pacquiao was young, fresh and promising at 26. kudos marquez for staying fit to keep fighting at 39 and pacman for making a name for himself outside of boxing.
unfortunately, this unnecessary 4th fight means one thing, they are both moving downhill but refuse to acknowledge it.

in my opinion, pacquiao only accepted the fight for the guaranteed $25M prize. romney knows how expensive a political campaign can get.

Round 9: Gamboa gets Farenas into the corner, lands many, many punches and then gets caught by a surprise counter and ends up on the deck.

Round 8 and Gamboa goes down, but it's another slip. Gamboa still spending a lot of time with at least one glove down. Farenas still bleeding. But there's not a huge amount to separate them in these later rounds. But Gamboa leading comfortably from the early rounds.

Ivan Williams emails:

Gamboa is rather co*cky, no? If he keeps his hands down like that, he might get a surprising knockout, LL Cool J style, "Mama said..."

A messy seventh round, including Gamboa landing on the deck, but called a fall rather than a knockdown.

In the background Marquez is gloved up and shadow boxing. He looks ready to fight. Pacquiao meanwhile doesn't have his gloves on and is just watching this fight on the TV.

AndTaylor Ayres McLean emails:

Great fight reportage and sports blogging at Guardian.
Life is better without TV. Like boxing and baseball on radio used to be. No noise.
Big win here for Marquez.
Saludos from jersey city...

Still time to make yourpredictions before the main event - via Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com

Five rounds in and Farenas is pretty badly cut, but hanging in. Gamboa's comfortably ahead on points I think and still throwing some big punches, but this could well go 12 and Gamboa hasn't fought for more than a year so exhaustion could yet play a part.

Kevin Mitchell writes from ringside:

A Mexican wave greets the start of Gamboa-Farenas, another mutual non-aggression pact - at least most of them are Mexicans. And then the Cuban rocked. Maybe we've got a fight at last. Gamboa can fight, if he wants to. And Farenas is pretty sure now that he wants to.

Gamboa and now Farenas now swinging them from the two-bob seats, as my dad used to say. Fancy Gamboa to finish it down the line, although he is a hugely unreliable conveyance (as my dad used to say).

Farenas now has cuts around both eyes. One (probably) from a punch, the other from a butt. Gamboa doing quite a bit of showboating, spending a disparaging period of the round with both his gloves down, even when he was theoretically defending.

First round was unsurprisingly cagey. The second less so. A big shot from Farenas led to a furious onslaught by the former Olympic champ. Just before the bell a big Gamboa combination put Farenas on the deck.

Mariano Aquino emails:

"Pacquiao on 10 rounds."

Mark Brown writes:

What's the betting that Marquez does a number on him again and Pac gets the decision (again)? Too much dosh riding on the Mayweather fight for Marquez to get a fair shake. It's America and money is god.

Taking your predictionsvia Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com

And, so, we have the last fight on the undercard, for the vacant WBA superfeatherweight title. Filipino Farenas has plenty of KO victories - and four draws. Olympic gold medallist Gamboa has won all of his 21 pro fights.

Kevin Mitchell writes:

50 Cent, recently split from Mayweather, lowered into ring a'la Naz, and does his rap thing. All very entertaining, but not much action in the ring tonight. Wonder if Mitt still awake?

So, rapper 50 Cent has just been lowered from the roof, singing. He's a promoter of the last fight before the main event...

That last one scares me a little...

Remember, you can share your predictions and other thoughtsvia Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com.

Miguel Vazquez beats Mercito Gesta with a convincing unanimous points decision.

Duane Goodson returns:

Oh believe me 33 is not retirement age, I am not a cheerleader for Pac but at 33 he is young enough to take on Floyd (I'm afraid Manny will end my career) Mayweather. If he disposes of Manuel convincingly that sets up the "omg" fight.

That is the fight we want. But I'm not convinced that Pacquiao winning convincingly will bring it closer...

The New York Times today asked how much longer these (and other) fighters would go on:

Pacquiao is also indicative of the state of modern boxing, of an era far closer to the end than to the beginning. He will turn 34 this month. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 35; Sergio Martinez is 37. Ricky Hatton recently retired again. Erik Morales should. [Miguel] Cotto could.

More on that here.

HBO has Vazquez beating Gesta in all ten rounds of this fight so far. You're not missing much...

Now we have HBO's Larry Merchant interviewing Manny Pacquiao. Except Pacquiao is holding the mic and asking the questions:

Pacquiao: "What do you have to say about tonight's fight"

Merchant: "I have to confirm to everyone that I did win all the three previous fights."

Pacquiao: "That's my line"

To continue that theme, how much longer will these boxers go on? Will we ever get to the much-demanded, much-talked-about Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight? If Pacman wins does that make a matchup with Mayweather more or less likely? I suspect not because it will mean that the Pacman is still a boxer to fear. But if Pacquiao loses and Mayweather takes up the challenge, it would surely diminish the event.

There's a deluge of emails and tweets descending upon me. Lots of them asking what time the fight will be (An hour or so? Depends on how long the current fight and the last fight before the main event last). But lots of them very much looking forward to the fight. But over the last week or so there has also been much debate about why this fight is happening and what it will prove.

Take this comment from the always knowledgeable Consortium11 on the Guardian's boxing blogs:

I’m struggling to get excited for this bout.

On paper that’s somewhat strange. All three of their previous bouts have been entertaining affairs where the aggression, speed and power of Pac and the defensive nous and counter-punching of Marquez combine. They have all been close, back and forth affairs, none of which have ever had a truly decisive winner. Both of these men are supremely talented boxers and both are almost certainly hall-of-famers. In recent years it is hard to think of 36 rounds that any other two boxers have put together which have combined the excitement and the high level of skill these two have shown.

But still, I find myself somewhat ambivalent.

This fight inspires feelings in me similar to another one, ironically featuring Marquez’s brother. Rafael Marquez and Israel Vázquez put on three classic bouts… fight of the year contenders all featuring guts, glory, blood heart and technique. And then they had a completely unnecessary fourth where both men, near to the ends of their careers already, looked old and tired. Marquez had more left than Vasquez, despatching the brave Mexican but his career has been little more than a disappointment since, headlined by losses to Juanma, Nishioka and Mijares. Vasquez has never fought since.

That is what I fear this bout will be. We know both men (Pac at 33 and Marquez at 39) are past their best and have one eye outside the realm of boxing (especially Pac with his political commitments). We know that Pac hasn’t looked great in recent bouts (even if you think he did beat Bradley). We already know how these bouts generally go; close rounds where Pac tries to hit and hurt Marquez before Marquez can counter his shots. Will this fight prove conclusively who the better man is? If Marquez wins does that show all of his previous losses (and the draw) were robberies? If Pac wins does that mean he wasn’t pushed to the limit in the three previous bouts? If either fighter stops the other does it do anything but show one has aged worse than the other? And worse… does a narrow, close bout with a controversial winner mean we see a 5th bout? Will these two end their days sat opposite each other in a nursing home, slamming their wheelchairs into each other while the equally ancient Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant continue to wheeze out their platitudes and one-liners?

I’ll watch. I’m a sucker and I’ll always watch. Boxing has me… I watched Jones vs Hopkins 2 afterall. But I struggle to care. I know the fight will be exciting. I know the atmosphere will be electric. I know that I may be seeing the end of one (if not two) greats. But I can imagine not bothering. I can imagine simply going to bed. And I don’t like it. I don’t like feeling that way.

The buildup to this fight has featured some of the usual trash talking and also some insinuations of unfair practices. Earlier this week my colleague Kevin Mitchell reported:

Pacquiao's straight-talking trainer, Freddie Roach, ignited the debate when he said that if the freshly chiselled physique of the 39-year-old Mexican was the result of natural training, he would, "kiss his ass". Roach has grown impatient with both rivals and colleagues recently, notably Pacquiao's own strength adviser, Alex Ariza, and describes the input of all conditioners and nutritionists as "bullsh*t".

His attack on Márquez prompted a swift reply from the fighter's controversial strength coach, Angel Hernández...."You cannot speak without having any proof. It is a faulty allegation on his part. It's not Manny; he has been a gentleman. Perhaps [Roach] is scared about the fight."...

...One of the reasons Roach is suspicious of Márquez's preparation is the continued presence in his camp of Hernández.

Hernández, a former Mexican national discus champion, was known as Angel Guillermo "Memo" Heredia when a chemist in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and was a key prosecution witness in the famous Balco case that exposed their supply of banned performance-enhancing drugs to a wide cross-section of prominent athletes in American sport.

More on that here.

Duane Goodson emails:

I think that Manny has the heart of a champion. He should have knocked out Manuel already based on what I saw in the previous fights. 3 round knock out is my prediction if it goes longer I will be surprised.

Well, that is sticking your neck out, Duane. And that sort of result would certainly conclude the debate.

Failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney wishes Pacquiao Good Luck and congratulates him on his successful political career.

How long until the main event? all your emails ask me. Probably another hour. At least. These thoughts from Matthew:

Next up is Miguel Vazquez vs Mercito Gesta, for the IBF lightweight championship (which is actually a real title, of sorts).

John Padilla sends an email similarly to many others clogging my inbox:

can you tell me please, from now, how many more hours before the fight, starts? Where i am, no one seems to know at what local time , the fight starts.

The fight should be about an hour from now. Should be. But it will probably be longer than that. As for what time that is where you are, well, that depends on where you are, John. It's 7pm in Las Vegas (I think). And this is always useful:

Makes me laugh every time. Every. Time.

Dominican Javier Fortuna beats Irishman Patrick Hyland on a unanimous points decision. I wasn't really watching the early part of the fight, but he looked in trouble in the later stages.

Way back in 2011 when I liveblogged the last Pacquiao vs Marquez fight, and Bob Arum was promoting a very special night of boxing, he said this:

"If you ask me there is nothing better in boxing than a great trilogy. They give fight fans an opportunity to get to know the fighters through a whole body of work rather than on the basis on just one night, when one of the guys might be a little bit off or the referee has a bad night."

I haven't yet heard Mr Arum talking about how aQuadrilogy is even better. But he has been spreading the gospel about this series being one of the greatest ever. Is it? They are certainly very good boxers and have engaged in some serious boxing. But does it stand up to the greatest series? And in a series that is already 2-0, just what will this fourth fight prove?

Get in touchvia Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com.

Indeed, even more ridiculous. Unless they can guarantee that the winner will get a shot at Mayweather.

Plus Matthew has advice on UK TV options:

Kevin writes:

Mitt and Mrs Romney here - but not her horse. Like the Presidential debates, Mitt has gone out early. Long night ahead. Sergio Martinez sitting next to birthday boy Bob Arum. Sergio's defence against Martin Murray is nailed for Argentina in April. Brit middles all well placed: Murray, last night's winner Darren Barker and Matt Macklin (watching back home). MM, a shrewd analyst, has gone for Marquez in the big one. Still think Pac will do it.

Into round 9 of Fortuna vs Hyland and the man in green has just pushed his opponent to the floor and then landed a low-blow seconds later. The referee is being pretty lenient with these. And after several rounds of sparring the pair have started going at each other hell for leather...

Which is even more ridiculous....

What will they do if we ever get a Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight? Especially if Marquez wins this fight and walks away with the "WBO Fight of the Decade" title?

Ivan Williams writes:

I'm looking forward to the fight. But, I would really prefer a knock out, versus someone winning on points.

I think everyone is with you on that one, Ivan.

Remember, you can share your thoughts/predictions/answers to earlier questions etc etc etcvia Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com.

Kevin Mitchell emails:

Press room heaving - with food. Fight hacks always had healthy appetites and an eye for a bargain: ie free nosh. They will filter down to the arena soon, no doubt. Most are website guys these days, as papers die across the world. Dublin feather Patrick Hyland (27-0) hanging in but trailing after five rounds against unbeaten Californian Javier Fortuna in WBA "interim" 12-rounder.

Adam Conlon in Manchester emails:

Marquez to win by two rounds

The key word being "by" rather than "in" I'm presuming, Adam.

Probably 11pm ET / 8am PT / 4am GMT. Probably.

Anyone else for Marquez?

Can anyone help, Darren? I'm in the USofA...

So, who do you think will winManny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Márquez 4? Share your predictionsvia Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com.

Yesterday Kevin wrote:

"Eight years, 36 rounds and three weight divisions have barely separated the two, but I'm taking the Filipino to edge it."

You can read the rest of his big fight preview here.

Kevin Mitchell is in the house. He will be sending over updates through the evening and his report after the fight. In the meantime, he's just emailed: "BobArum says Romney is in the house which, unfortunately for Democrats (of which Bob, 81 today, is one), in this case is not mob slang for up the river. 50 Cent also here after split with Mayweather. The stars are out."

While we wait for the main event, how about catching up with the history. The first fight was a stunning battle, featuring three knockdowns by Pacquiao in the opening round and a long, determined comeback by Marquez:

And here's Pacquiao vs Marquez 2 and Pacquiao vs Marquez 3.

HBO have just unveiled the three fights on the undercard, so it might be a couple of hours until the main event. Depends how long these fights take, of course. First up will be Patrick Hyland, fighting out of NY via Dublin, vs Javier Fortuna. I won't be going round-by-round for that one, but will give updates. And feel free to get in touch with your thoughtsvia Twitter to@Busfieldor via email tosteve.busfield@guardiannews.com

And so here we go again,Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez - 4!

Pacquiao leads the series 2-0, with one draw, and yet bizarrely the feeling is that Pacman needs to win this fight comfortably - preferably via a knockdown - to prove himself the better of the two fighters.

Marquez has said over and over that he believes he won all three previous meetings. And there are plenty of others who support his view, particularly at the MGM Grand tonight - Mexican boxing fans in Las Vegas heavily outnumbering the support for the Filipino.

But perhaps it is Marquez who needs to make the statement: he is, after all, trailing 0-2 in the series and has been sent to the canvas several times.

Indeed, eight years ago when this pair first met, after just three minutes nobody would have expected the rivalry to go as far as aQuadrilogy. Marquez was knocked down three times in 90 seconds and clinging on. He recovered, turned that fight into a battle that the judges just couldn't split and led to a matchup that reappeared in 2008, 2011 and now 2012.

The pair aren't even fighting for a title belt - Pacquiao "lost" his to Timothy Bradley in June. So, it's pride at stake tonight. The promoters have to call it something so it's theThe Fight of the Decade. Cynics are calling it the Fight of the Decayed, but that's just rude.

HBO's live coverage has just started (after several hours of weigh-ins, 24/7s etc etc). The fight could start as early as 10pm ET / 7pm PT / 3am GMT, but I will update those timings as the evening develops.

Please share your predictions/thoughts/complaints/jokes/whatever via Twitter to @Busfield or via email to steve.busfield@guardiannews.com