I Thought the Pacquiao Win Over Marquez Was Fair

My haircut was just coming to an end when both my barber and I broke into wide grins as an old gentleman at the far end of the barbershop started loudly telling his own barber how people he was watching the bout with were largely dissatisfied with the way the Pacquiao-Marquez fight last Sunday turned out.

“Ey!!!” the gentleman burst out loudly, “may tumutungayaw pa ey!!!”

I caught my barber’s eyes. “I don’t think the kids of today know what tungayaw means,” I said to him. “Opô ngâ Sir,” he agreed.

“Ay may tumindig pa’t sigaw na,” the gentleman continued with his story, “pu#%*@-ina’y ba’t nagkagay-on?” Now you all know what the word means.

He was referring to people’s reactions to Pac-Man retaining his title. No different from the reactions that streamed down the Facebook NewsFeed right after the fight, spoiling the match for those like me who were planning to watch it on free television.

Those who celebrated were, at best, lukewarm. There were also those who were sounding defensive; apologetic, even. Because this is a free country, yes, there were also those who expressed outright disgust and indignation that Marquez had lost.

I am not really a boxing fan; and neither can I say that I am all that much of a Pac-Man fan, either. It is just that watching the PacMan fight has become almost obligatory because you will have nothing to say when people talk about it the next day.

From experience, I knew that free TV would be delayed. My word, but GMA really managed to give a new meaning to the phrase “delayed telecast.” I mean, the post-game reactions were already streaming down my Facebook NewsFeed and it was still the undercard being shown on free TV.

Like everyone else, I tried to look for working live streams over the Internet; and failed. All the supposed links that Google piled up purporting to carry live streams just led to more bogus links. Bummer.

Resigned, I had no choice but to watch the bout over free TV. That line of text on the upper right hand corner of the screen was irritating: VIA SATELLITE. Cheeky. Albeit, whoever was in charge of onscreen graphics was careful not to precede the phrase with LIVE. Everyone who was watching knew it was anything but.

There was, nonetheless, a decided advantage in watching the game delayed – I could be objective and even try to validate some of the comments I had seen streaming down the NewsFeed. This would have been difficult to do if I was watching the match live.

I will not be pretentious by saying that I understand the intricacies of boxing. I am only a casual fan of the sport. However, if I learned anything at all from my Dad – who was very much a fan – it was to look for the punches that actually connected.

Watching the bout without the tension that comes from it being live, I thought the judges’ decision – i.e. Pacquiao retaining his title – was quite fair. I do not recall Pacquiao throwing any really solid punches – the sort the sent Marquez to the floor in previous bouts – but there were so many and these were so quick that they were so easy to miss.

Frequently, these were even between Marquez’s gloves straight into his face. Not hard made-for-television punches; just punches. The judges would have seen these as well.

I think many who saw the bout live would have come to the conclusion that Marquez was winning because he threw what looked like the stronger punches. These were also loud as picked up by the microphones. Some of these, as replays suggested, did connect. But there were also many more that Pacquiao routinely defended; these would have sounded just as loud.

The punches that Marquez landed also appeared – particularly in the slow-motion replays – as the sort that would have hurt Pacquiao. What puzzled me after the bout was that, of the two boxers’ faces, Marquez’s appeared even more swollen. I know Pacquio sustained a cut in his forehead as a result of what people say was a headbutt; and he had stitches sewn in his mouth for a cut.

From what the frequent replays showed of Pacquiao’s head jerking backwards from what appeared to be solid Marquez connections, I expected Pacquiao’s face to have swollen up more. Because it was not, I wonder now if the backwards movements were more evasive actions than Marquez actually connecting? Unless Pacquiao’s face is tough as carabao hide; now don’t you smirk you wicked little person you!

My own personal conclusion when the last round was concluded was that I thought Pacquio not only threw more punches – which was obvious since Marquez was counterpunching – he also connected with more. I could not be sure, of course; but CompuBox statistics reported by the news networks later confirmed my hunch.

Besides, for somebody who was brazen enough to immediately raise his fist after the final bell, I thought Marquez spent too much time moving backwards. I know counterpunching is his style but – duh – did he really expect to give the Zs to Pacquiao with one solid punch fighting that way? He was fighting Pacquiao, like I have to say!

So, alright! Maybe the fight was a tad lame by the PacMan’s own standards. I still thought the result was fair. If there will be a fourth bout, God, too much of anything makes one want to vomit already. Please, Lord NO!

Anyone wants to argue or correct any statements I made, feel free to do so. I am the football guy. I do not mind being wrong if the discussion is about boxing.

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