Juan Manuel Marquez didn’t feel like leaving the outcome of his fourth battle with Manny Pacquiao in the hands of three judges. Instead, Marquez landed a vicious right-hand counter at the 2:59 mark of the sixth round that knocked Pacquiao to the mat, abruptly ending what had been a thrilling match up to that point. Pacquiao seemed to gain control of the match headed into the sixth round — he’d landed more punches, Marquez’s nose appeared to be broken, and there was blood gathering all over his face — but he whiffed on a right-hand shot at the end of the round, allowing Marquez to counter one second before the bell.
The previous three matches between the two fighters had gone the full 12 rounds, and there was overwhelming sentiment among Marquez supporters that Pacquiao had received favorably biased decisions. But there’s no second guessing a TKO, and while Marquez can celebrate what can be accurately described as the only decisive win in their recent battles, the Pacquiao camp will have to regroup and assess the damage.
via Deadspin
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