Super Featherweight

Some of you have already heard that July 14, 2012 should have a very controversial fight in store for all boxing fans.

The David Haye (25-2, 23 KOs) vs. Dereck Chisora (15-3, 9 KOs) bout is being pushed forward, with a date and venue already booked. It seems that on the same night, and in the same arena, Alexander Povetkin (24-0, 16 KOs) will be challenged by his mandatory Hasim Rahman (50-7-2, 41 KOs).

While I don’t believe that this fight would turn out to be a blockbuster event worldwide, the recent drama between Haye and Chisora is bound to bring in decent viewing numbers. As far as July goes, this was going to be the biggest boxing event of the month.

That was until the news of a potential fight between Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Zab Judah had surfaced. Not only is this fight being seriously considered, but it is being planned for the very same day that Haye vs. Chisora is slated to take place.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Judah spoke up about his prospective bout against Marquez:

"It's a fight I have campaigned for. This is a fight I wanted a couple of years ago, and I still want it. I want him. He fought Floyd Mayweather and never touched him and he got dropped. I can do that, too. It's a fight that makes sense. Marquez wants a fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao. I want a fight with Manny Pacquiao, too. The winner should get Pacquiao."

If this fight truly comes to fruition, it will not only steal the thunder from any other boxing event of the summer, including Pacquiao vs. Bradley, but may turn out to be one for books. Both fighters have very fitting styles for a fight packed with action. Both Judah and Marquez are experienced boxers with respectable speed and skills.

I can see their fight turning out to be a real war in the ring, with numerous exchanges and lightning-fast combinations. Personally, I would have no problem ordering this fight as a PPV event, and I am picky about what I pay for.

Picking a winner of the fight, if it ever happens, should be challenging for anyone. I think that it will be a close fight, but in the end, Marquez’s unparalleled ability to counter-punch will win him the fight.

Judah is fast and will undoubtedly leave marks on Marquez, but he may start to slow down and get discouraged after being hit back every time he throws.

Would a winner deserve a fight against Pacquiao? If the Mayweather Jr. fight doesn’t materialize, I would say yes, the winner of that fight would be a good option for Pacquiao’s next fight.

Juan Manuel Marquez didn’t need to wait for the decision to know he had won.

On Saturday night, the judges awarded one of the greatest boxers of all time a 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 over the Ukrainian Sergey Fedchenko in a unanimous decision in Mexico City.

This was a one-sided affair from the jump. With the crowd clearly in favor of Marquez, he used his typical technical self to systematically destroy Fedchenko. In his first appearance since getting completely screwed over by the judges against Manny Pacquiao, he dominated from the opening bell. He incorporated impeccable defense with an aggressive offensive arsenal that is rarely displayed by Marquez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKOPH8P4N_I

Fedchenko struggled to throw punches and kept his distance, preventing Marquez from landing too many of his signature hooks. That was the main reason he was able to survive all 12 rounds and not succumb to the knockout. But after six rounds, it was crystal clear who was winning this affair.

What’s Next?

It was a statement victory of sorts for Marquez and it makes you wonder what’s next on his slate.

Obviously, he would love a fourth bout with Pac-Man, but why in the world would Manny agree to another fight? He should have lost Round 3 and would likely lose a fourth bout.

Other than that, I’d guess a bout against Floyd Mayweather could potentially occur. Money May’s big fight is only half a month away as the two fighter’s schedules matchup.

But with the entire boxer world clamoring for a Pacquiao-Mayweather, it is unlikely Marquez would get in the way. Then again, with the way those two bicker and blame each other for a lack of a bout, maybe it’s never going to happen. Assuming Mayweather dispatches of Miguel Cotto, Marquez would be the next best opponent.

It was an exciting night in Mexico City, but now the future of the 38-year-old is very much up in the air. 

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“There’s a chance to fight [Marquez] again, but not right now,” said Pacquiao in a recent interview. “I don’t think people will watch the same movie.”

“My concern is the fans. I don’t want to lose the trust of the people in boxing. I don’t want to lose the fans in boxing. That’s my first concern,” continued Pacquiao.

To tell you the truth, what Manny Pacquiao said is like a double-edged sword: While there is some truth to it, it’s also saturated with lack of closure for many boxing fans. Yes, their trilogy so far has been pretty uniform, with not only similar outcomes, but also close to identical bell-to-bell action.

Pacquiao was always the aggressor, while Marquez rarely failed to deliver a successful counterattack.

Despite his wins, Pacquiao always talked about the fact that he was not completely satisfied with his performances against Marquez, but never denied himself the actuality of his victory. Marquez, on the other hand, had entirely opposite feelings, always claiming that he did enough to win the fight and that his victory was stolen from him by the unfair judges.

It is entirely understandable why Marquez demands another opportunity, and it is just as easy to see why Pacquiao might not want to offer one, yet feels like he might have to.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, seems to be on the same page as his pupil regarding this topic.

“Every time they fight it gets less exciting because we’ve already seen it.

The third fight was nowhere near as good as the first two. And the thing is, I think the fourth one would be the same. I just think it’s like watching a movie four times. How much more do you get out of it?”

Since Manny Pacquiao states that the fans are his main concern and that he is convinced that they would not be interested in another fight with Marquez, I can tell that Pacquiao is not being a very observant champion.

Sure, most people call for his potential blockbuster bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but aside from that, many fans are still not satisfied with the final outcome of his trilogy against Marquez.

Many Pacquiao fans want that one more fight against Marquez as much as the Mexican fans insist on it, as closure has not yet been achieved. People want to see either of the two scenarios: Pacquiao knocks Marquez out, or Marquez defeats Pacquiao with a comfortable lead on points.

Bradley is a good fight too, and I think that it was a pretty good choice by camp Pacquiao. The question is, who will Pacquiao face next?  It should be either the first obvious choice of Floyd Mayweather Jr., but if not, Pacquiao need not waste everyone’s time and sign to face Juan Manuel Marquez one last time.

What about you, do you think that the public is yet again ready for Dinamita to cross the ropes to face Pacman?

This Saturday, according to a press release from the executive producers of HBO, there will be a Thanksgiving boxing feast with a Thanksgiving weekend edition of Boxing After Dark headlined by fast-rising star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Alvarez will be defending his title on his own turf in Mexico against former welterweight champion Kermit Cintron.

Also that night will be Adrien Broner vs Vincente Rodriguez, live from Cincinnati, at the US Bank Arena.

Undefeated Adrien "The Problem" Broner (21-0, 17 KOs) will be taking on Vincente Rodriguez (34-2-1, 19 KOs) for the vacated WBO super feather weight title.

Broner is coming off two notable wins. One being a cautious unanimous decision victory over the knockout artist Ponce De Leon where many fans and media criticized him for not taking risks in that fight.

Also most recently, a spectacular 1st round knock-out win over Jason Litzau. Many, including myself, feel Broner used the 1st round knock-out win to silence the criticism he endured for fighting Ponce De Leon so conservatively.

It will be interesting to see which Broner will show up against the veteran Rodriguez who has never been stopped in his career.

In the main event, Canelo Alvarez, who might very well be the next big super star sensation in boxing will be taking on his most legitimate solid opponent so far in the hard hitting former champion Kermit Cintron. Cintron has been in the ring with the top elites such as Sergio Martinez.

Cintron not only has the power to knock his opponents out but he has the technique and skills to outbox them as well as he put a boxing clinic on an undefeated Alfredo Angulo handing him his first loss.

I give full credit to the young fast rising star Canelo in taking on someone like Cintron already this early in his career while only being 21 years old.

Should Canelo look impressive in defeating Cintron Saturday, then he may be on his way to taking on some of the other elite competition at 154 and 147, which will without a doubt make for some huge fights with some big names.

BOXING AFTER DARK:  CANELO ALVAREZ VS. KERMIT CINTRON AND ADRIEN BRONER VS. VICENTE RODRIGUEZ is seen SATURDAY, NOV. 26 at 10:30 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), from U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati and Plaza Mexico in Mexico City, exclusively on HBO.  The HBO Sports team of Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

            Other HBO playdates:  Nov. 27 (9:15 a.m.) and 28 (midnight)

            HBO2 playdates:  Nov. 27 (5:15 p.m.) and 29 (12:30 a.m.)

KING J is the Bleacher Report Boxing Community Leader and Featured Columnist. All information was provided directly to him via email press release from the executive producers of HBO.

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Juan Manuel Marquez is Manny Pacquiao’s kryptonite.

In three bouts between the fighters, Pac-Man has failed to live up to his nickname. He hasn't been able to eat Marquez alive like he did to so many other boxers in his long career. Over that career, Dinamita should be the only one considered equal to Pacquiao.

The Filipino warrior’s first loss came in a match in which he wore heavier gloves as a penalty for weighing-in overweight. Before the turn of the century, Medgoen Singsurat knocked him out to hand him his second loss. However, Pac-Man obviously in’t the same fighter.

His last loss came at the hands of Erik Morales, who Pacquiao went on to fight on two further occasions in which he won via TKO and KO.

In his prime, no fighter has given Pacquiao trouble like Marquez. Despite being knocked to the ground three times in the first round of their first fight, Marquez controlled the rest of the match. The judges didn’t reward him for his comeback effort, though, as the battle ended in a draw.

Almost four years later, the two fought again. In another close match, ring-side judges rewarded Pacquiao with a split-decision victory. The fight happened to be the only one since Pacquiao’s loss to Morales that didn’t end in a knockout, technical knockout or unanimous decision in the lieutenant colonel’s favor.

And of course, Pac-Man and Dinamita’s last fight definitely didn’t finish quietly. 

Marquez looked in control for the majority of the fight and most believed he deserved the win.  At the very least, it should have been a draw. The judges somehow awarded Pacquiao with another triumph, but Marquez once again gave him all he could handle.

Pacquiao is seen as Superman by so many and Marquez made him look human more than any other boxer has in the past decade.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.

Manny Pacquiao needs to set his sights on Floyd Money Mayweather, or his 12 round bout that ended in a decision in favor of him over Juan Manuel Marquez will mean nothing.

There is no doubt that Pacquiao was the better fighter, but many people feel that Marquez should have won the fight.

The very fact that the fight had to go to a decision though is somewhat of an indictment on Pacquiao in the first place, considering that Marquez is 38 and Pac-Man has had zero trouble with anybody else but him.

The thing about Marquez is that he is a notorious counter-punch fighter, so every big left that Pacquiao was able to throw was met with a big counter from Marquez.

That in itself allowed him to make some solid contact on the man that many people consider to be the best in the world.

Many people considered the decision to be suspect and the fans in Vegas let him know about it, Ron Borges of the Boston Herald reports:

The final words from Juan Manuel Marquez the night before he faced Manny Pacquiao for a third time were: “I just hope the judges give me a fair shake.’’

They didn’t.

A stunned and angry sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena hollered angrily after it was announced that Pacquiao had been handed an improbable majority decision, beating Marquez for the second time under a cloud of suspicion.

The crowd booed lustily as it was announced that Glenn Trowbridge had scored the bout 116-112 for Pacquiao and Dave Moretti had it 115-113 for the WBO welterweight champion. The third judge, Robert Hoyle, had it a draw, 114-114. The Herald card scored the bout 117-112 for Marquez.

Marquez refused to speak to HBO’s broadcasters after the fight, storming out of the ring as the fans cheered. When Pacquiao tried to answer HBO’s questions, the crowd booed so lustily not a word of his could be heard. When they tried a second time, the boos cascaded down even louder, no one in the crowd interested in hearing from him as even Pacquiao hung his head in sadness.

There's only one way for Pacquiao to defend himself from this sketchy fight and it's to fight Floyd Mayweather.

There's no doubt that besides Pacquiao, Mayweather is the best in the world, so if there was ever a way for Pacquiao to get rid of the stigma he is dealing with now by barely beating Marquez, it would be by knocking Mayweather out.

No more decision, and no more complete fights.

Manny Pacquiao needs a knockout of Mayweather if he wants to redeem himself from his latest sketchy win over Marquez.

After Manny Pacquiao was awarded a controversial decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night, the first question that he was asked is if he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather.

It was an obvious question, but a better one is how can Mayweather not be licking his chops right now?

Pacquiao's response to the question was, "Let's get it on. Let's make the fight happen and give the people a good fight." (per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael). 

It was a typical Pacquiao response because he is the quintessential babyface in a sport that is filled with easy-to-hate characters. 

But Mayweather had to be watching this fight and thinking that all the hype that Pacquiao has gotten is ridiculous. He probably thinks that anyway, but he had a valid reason to think that last night. 

Rafael said it best in his post-fight column on ESPN.com when he wrote that Mayweather's tongue was probably hanging out of his mouth watching Marquez pound on Pacquiao. 

The win, however, probably keeps alive the prospect of a showdown between Pacquiao and fellow welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather Jr., who ought to be licking his chops if he took time out to watch his rival struggle more than he has at any time since he edged Marquez in a 2008 junior lightweight championship fight -- which came four years after Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a draw in a featherweight title fight at the MGM Grand.

Marquez implemented a Mayweather-esque counterpunch style that gave Pacquiao all sorts of problems, and nearly resulted in one of the biggest upset victories in boxing history. 

Mayweather destroyed Marquez and his counterpunching when they fought two years ago, and seeing Pacquiao struggle against it had to make Mayweather feel like his perfect record is no danger at all.

Pacquiao's reputation has taken a hit in light of the controversial ending to this fight, and he will do anything that he can to get that back. 

There is a long way to go before a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight takes place and a lot of issues that have to be settled between the two, but it is obvious that now is the time for the superfight to happen. 

It appeared the only thing preventing such a dream match-up is Mayweather's fear of Pacquiao's speed and precise striking, but as Marquez exposed last night, he can be had against defensively aggressive fighters. 

There is no fighter in the world that uses defense to his advantage more than Mayweather does, and he is better than Marquez at this stage of the game. The only question left is if he can resist the temptation of a $50 million purse, which is likely what he would get if the dream fight ever happens. 

Lost in Manny Pacquiao's 12-round decision win is the fighter who took him the distance, and that's 38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez.

To be fair, it's not the fact that Marquez took him to a decision, because we've seen Pacquiao go the distance before, but it's the way that Marquez did it.

At the end of the fight Pacquiao was wearing a t-shirt that said undisputed champion. Unfortunately, after the way that Marquez beat him up, there are many people that are disputing that fact.

Yes, Pacquiao won, and in the end that's all that is going to matter in the record books.

Many people feel Marquez should have gotten that decision, and he gave them plenty of evidence to back that up.

Marquez is a counter-fighter and is much more defensive minded than Pacquiao.

With that being said, with every punch that Pacquiao landed, Marquez was able to counter with an equal, if not better shot.

In the end, many people felt that Marquez should have won the fight, and that he got screwed out of yet another decision with Pacquiao.

The crowd at the fight obviously felt that way, and they let Pacquiao know it, according to Ron Borges of the Boston Herald:

The final words from Juan Manuel Marquez the night before he faced Manny Pacquiao for a third time were: “I just hope the judges give me a fair shake.’’

They didn’t.

A stunned and angry sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena hollered angrily after it was announced that Pacquiao had been handed an improbable majority decision, beating Marquez for the second time under a cloud of suspicion.

The crowd booed lustily as it was announced that Glenn Trowbridge had scored the bout 116-112 for Pacquiao and Dave Moretti had it 115-113 for the WBO welterweight champion. The third judge, Robert Hoyle, had it a draw, 114-114. The Herald card scored the bout 117-112 for Marquez.

Marquez refused to speak to HBO’s broadcasters after the fight, storming out of the ring as the fans cheered. When Pacquiao tried to answer HBO’s questions, the crowd booed so lustily not a word of his could be heard. When they tried a second time, the boos cascaded down even louder, no one in the crowd interested in hearing from him as even Pacquiao hung his head in sadness.

When all is said and done, it doesn't matter who boo's and it doesn't matter what we think, because Pacquiao went home that night as the winner and champion.

All the respect in the world needs to go to Marquez though, as he's the only fighter in recent memory who has been able to hang with Pacquiao.

He gave him fits all three times that they've squared off, and I wouldn't be surprised to see much of the same if they ever fought again.

Marquez has Pacquiao's number, and that's saying a lot, especially for a 38-year-old fighter.

He may not have won the fight, but he certainly won over all of my respect.

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez need one more than Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Three matches definitely won’t be enough to satisfy boxing fans after Saturday night’s controversial ending.  Many feel that Marquez outfought Pacquiao and deserved the win, and at the very worst, the bout should end in a draw.  Somehow, someway, the ringside judges gave Pacquiao the win with scores of 116-112 and 115-113.

You must see the fight from a totally different perspective sitting ringside.  After all, that’s the only logical explanation for Pacquiao’s victory other than that Las Vegas fixed the fight. The crowd chanted Marquez’s name as he stormed away furious after the ruling.

According to the Associated Press, Marquez let out his emotions after the shocking decision saying: “I got robbed. I don't know what else I can do to win.”

At 38 years old, Marquez can’t end on that note. He has to challenge Pacquiao again or he’ll lose sleep over the ruling for the rest of his life. Marquez felt like the judges cheated him in his last two fights with Pac-Man as well, so this loss is as painful as they come.

Who knows if Pacquiao would even be interested in fighting Marquez for a fourth time? Marquez may not even be interested. “I don’t know what else I can do to win,” doesn’t seem like someone gunning for another shot.  

Still, Marquez must give it one more attempt because he definitely can defeat Pacquiao.

For the latest news and updates on Pacquiao Vs. Marquez, and for all the latest news and insight on all things boxing, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's Boxing Central. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.

At least Juan Manuel Marquez has inspiration for a new T-shirt.

Manny Pacquiao defeated Marquez in a finish which will be put under the microscope for a long time.  Most analysts believed that the fight should’ve ended in a draw, if Marquez didn’t actually outfight Pacquiao. Instead, one judge scored a 114-114 draw and the remaining two favored Manny 115-113 and 116-112.

According to the Associated Press, Marquez complained after the controversial decision: “I got robbed.  I don't know what else I can do to win.”

Saturday night wasn’t the first time Marquez felt like the judges cheated him out of a victory. His previous two fights with Pacquiao ended with a draw and a split-decision in Manny’s favor. Marquez reacted to the loss in the second fight by flying to the Philippines to hand out T-shirts which read “We Got Robbed” and “Marquez Beat Manny Pacquiao Twice.”

While the crowd chanted Marquez’s name, Pacquiao did land more punches on the night. He landed 176, and 117 of which were power punches. Comparatively, Marquez landed 138 blows, and 100 happened to be power punches. 

Numbers aren’t the deciding factor in a fight, though, and it was pretty clear that Pacquiao had no business drawing a score of 116-112. There will be plenty of boxing fans calling the fight fixed and the judges biased. 

For the latest news and updates on Pacquiao vs. Marquez, and for all the latest news and insight on all things boxing, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's Boxing Central. 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.  Follow him on Twitter.