Juan Manuel Marquez vs Manny Pacquiao II signed by Juan Manuel Marquez official on-site programme, billed "Unfinished Business," 15th march 2008, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

Condition mint

Pacquaio W split decision

Four years in the making, the much-anticipated rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez had both fighters seeing red, not out of anger but from blood streaming into their right eyes.

Pacquiao's third-round knockdown of Marquez provided the one-point difference on the judges' scorecards, enabling the pride of the Phillipines to escape with a 12-round split decision and dethrone Marquez for the WBC super featherweight championship.

Both fighters sustained nasty cuts that clouded their vision over the latter rounds of the hellacious fight, seen by a capacity crowd at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

The eventual outcome also was not so clear as the two fighters waged what resulted in almost a near repeat of their epic draw May 8, 2004.

But it was the lone knockdown, which gave Pacquiao a 10-8 round in the third, that proved the difference as judge Tom Miller scored the fight 114-113 for Pacquiao while Duane Ford scored it 115-112 for Pacquiao and Jerry Roth had it 115-112 for Marquez.

In their fight four years ago, Pacquiao knocked down Marquez three times in the first round only to spend the next 11 rounds trying to fend off his Mexican opponent's fierce comeback. The non-stop action resulted in each fighter getting the nod from two of the judges while the third judge called it a draw.

By contrast, the only knockdown occurred when Pacquiao's ferocious left hook caught Marquez during an exchange. Marquez got up quickly and showed referee Kenny Bayless he was okay, but he nearly went down again from Pacquiao's right hand just before the end of the round.

From there, the fighters went back and forth hurting each other with wicked shots, heightening the drama in the seventh round when an accidental head butt opened a cut on the side of Marquez's right eye. Pacquiao also suffered a split right eyelid in the seventh round, and his cut at the time seemed more serious than Marquez's because of the location.

While Marquez succeeded in battering Pacquiao's eye, he also paid a price. The continuous ebb-and-flow action left Marquez with another deeper cut over his right eye. Pacquiao, admittedly, was bothered by the blood in his eye. But with the help of a masterful job from his cut man, Joe Thomas, he was able to weather the storm and survive the sea of red.

"It really bothered me because I couldn't see his right hands and hooks,'' said Pacquiao, who lifted his record to 46-3-2 (with 35 KOs). "I knew this fight was going to be hard, so I prepared hard."

Of the knockdown blow, Pacquiao said "That was the No. 1 plan for training, the left hook." But he gave Marquez credit for taking him to the limit in an even more taxing fight than their first.

"He moved faster tonight with head movement and more counter punching,'' Pacquiao said. "I'm happy I won. He was a really hard opponent."

Marquez's record dropped to 48-4-1 (35 KOs) in becoming the latest Mexican champion to be beaten by Pacquiao, who owns two victories apiece against Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

"We pressed him and we hurt him three or four times,'' Marquez said. "It's just like before, it's the whole fight not just one round."

Asked how the defeat will affect his future, Marquez was defiant. "I haven't lost anything at all,'' he said. "The popele will see. They know who really won the fight. We think we won."

Price: £75

Manny Pacquiao was born in the province of Bukidnon in the Philippines. The boxer who hails from General Santos City Philippines is also dubbed "The Destroyer" by his peers in the boxing world, because of the way he dominates and sweeps over his challengers and opponents. He has a devastating left punch that has the ability to end a match in an instant. The 26 year old Pacquiao started his professional boxing career in 1995 at 106 pounds. He bounced in weight from 106 to 113 pounds before losing in his 12th fight against Rustico Torrecampo via third round TKO. Shortly after the Torrecampo fight Pacquiao settled in at 112 pounds winning the WBC Flyweight title only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat by third round knockout. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales by not being able to make weight of 112 lb (51 kg).
Following the loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao again jumped in weight, this time stopping at the Super Bantamweight division of 122 lb (55 kg) where he picked up the WBC International title defending it five times before his big break came. Pacquiao’s big break came on June 23rd, 2001, against IBF Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and walked out of the fight the newly crowned IBF Super Bantamweight champion. Pacquiao scored three knockdowns before the end of the fight was called in the fifth round. Manny went on to defend his title four times before the match that defined his career against his childhood boxing idol the venerable and legendary Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico came. His perseverance and hardwork paid off as he pummelled Barrera into submission in a stunning 11th round TKO when Barrera’s corner had seen enough, they had the fight stopped in the eleventh round. With this victory the "Pacman" captured the People's Featherweight Title. Pacquiao's performance established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, and put the Philippines on the boxing world's map again where he follows in the footsteps of past Filipino boxing stars such as Gabriel_"Flash"_Elorde and Pancho Villa. This removed from his dominating win over Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao's march to greatness continued as he went on to challenge another respected and technical Mexican boxer, Juan Manuel Marquez, holder of the WBA and IBF Featherweight Title. Experts predicted that Marquez, a dangerous counter-puncher, would prevail over Pacquiao because of his superior boxing skills. The fight turned out to be one of the greatest Featherweight clashes in the history of boxing. Pacquiao's superior handspeed and punching power was displayed early as he stormed Marquez with lightning jabs and straight lefts that sent the Mexican Champion to the mat three times in the first round alone. It looked as if Pacquiao was on his way to a quick night's work but things changed as Marquez started to take control in the second, dominating the fight and getting better with each passing round. When the bell to end the 12th round sounded, the fight was scored a draw.
Pacquiao also worked against Fahsan (3K-Battery) Por Thawatchai. Pacquiao pulled down Por Thawatchai to the canvas three times en route to a knock out in the fourth-round. The devastating ax-like left uppercut to the jaw knocked down the Thai fighter with both feet off the canvass and ended the fight completely. Manny once again jumped in weight, this time to the Super Featherwight division and squared off against former three-time division champion Erik Morales on 19th of March, 2005. However, Pacquiao lost the 12 round match with a unanimous descision from the judges. Pacquiao showed a lot of heart against Morales in their fight, having to fight with a bad cut in his eye for most of the fight against a great champion. Despite the loss, Pacquiao gained further credibility as a fighter who could fight back under adversity. On September 10, 2005, Manny Pacquiao TKO'd Hector Velazquez, capturing the WBC International Super Featherweight Title in the process. The victory proved once again the power of Pacquiao's fists. A rematch with Erik Morales is set for January 21, 2006 in Las Vegas at Thomas and Mack Center, United States.





One of boxing's best, pound for pound, Juan Manuel Marquez has thrilled fight fans for over 13 years with his pinpoint accuracy and fight ending power. Best remembered for his thrilling 12 round draw with Manny Pacquiao in 2004, this former WBA and IBF and current interim WBO featherweight champion has plenty left in the tank as he chases after the big fights in the coming years.

Born in Mexico City, Marquez is one of eight children whose father was an ex-pro boxer with 35 fights to his credit. Entering the gym for the first time at the age of eight, Juan and his brother, current bantamweight world champion Rafael, quickly took to the sweet science and he began fighting in amateur tournaments at 13.

After a 35-1 amateur career that included a pair of Golden Gloves tournament wins, Marquez entered the pro ranks at the age of 19 on May 29, 1993 and lost his first bout via disqualification to Javier Duran.

Marquez wouldn't lose again for another six years as he tore through the fight scenes in Mexico and California, compiling a record of 29-1 that included a win over Agapito Sanchez and an NABO title, which he defended seven times.

This success earned him a shot at the WBA featherweight title on September 11, 1999, where Marquez would lose a controversial decision to then-unbeaten champion Freddie Norwood.

Determined to get back in the title picture, Marquez was back in the ring two months later, stopping Remigio Molina in eight rounds. Nine more wins would follow, and two fights after he stopped Robbie Peden in ten rounds for the NABF and USBA titles, 'Dinamita' got his second world title shot, this time against veteran Manuel Medina for the vacant IBF crown on February 1, 2003.

This time, Marquez would not be denied, and he halted Medina in seven rounds to win his first world title.

Two fights later, Marquez added the WBA strap when he won a seven round technical decision over Derrick Gainer, and on May 8th, 2004, he would face Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao in his first super fight.

And things didn't look good for Marquez early, as he was knocked down three times in the opening round by the explosive Pacquiao. But from the second round on, the fight was all Marquez, as he put on a stirring boxing clinic. Unfortunately, his early points deficit cost him the bout and he was forced to accept a draw. But among boxing fans, his stock rose ten fold.

After successful title defenses over Orlando Salido and Victor Polo, Marquez traveled to Indonesia to take on hometown hero Chris John on March 4, 2006 and lost his title via a highly disputed 12 round decision that many thought 'Dinamita' had won.

Disappointed, but not discouraged, Marquez returned to the ring on August 5th and earned the interim WBO featherweight championship with a seventh round stoppage of Thailand's Terdsak Jandaeng. On October 21st, he will defend this title for the first time against the Philippines' Jimrex Jaca.