As most individuals around boxing know, Manny Pacquiao has a massive contingent of fans across the globe, most especially the die hard Filipino fans from his home country. Well, after the debated decision that Pacquiao got over Marquez in their third fight this past Saturday, many of Pacquiao’s fans are getting desperate. They have taken to calling Marquez a cheater, and all of them are referencing the same tactic or happenstance. Read on for the specifics.
Home base for the “Marquez is a cheater” movement seems to be located here, on a website post called “Juan Manuel Marquez Dirty Boxing Trick Exposed”. So what was his dirty trick you ask? Stepping on Pacquiao’s foot during the fight.
I’m serious.
A YouTube video with over 100,000 views and counting shows clips of Marquez ending up with his foot on top of Pacquiao’s, multiple times throughout the bout.
Never mind that when a southpaw and a right-handed fighter face one another, such events are bound to happen. Establishing outside foot position when facing a fighter in the opposite stance is one of the most effective, well known and tried-and-true tactics in such fights. The fans making the Marquez cheating comments don’t know that, or have ignored it.
Further, all Pacquiao would need to do to avoid his foot being stepped in is to work on establishing outside position for himself, or to time his movements better and be more well aware of where he and Marquez were in the ring against one another.
It’s not some massive controversy. It’s not some dirty trick. It’s not anything.
So from now on, anytime an opponent does something in the ring that ends up rendering the fighter you root for less effective, it’s cheating. Getting jabbed too much? A good jab is cheating, too effective. Got knocked out? Punches that are too hard and well-placed are dangerous and illegal.
The above website also makes vague claims to Marquez drinking a liquid that’s not water while in the corner between rounds. That’s the first and only thing I’ve heard about that.
If you look around at the comments on some of our other Pacquiao-Marquez III columns published after the fight, or at the comments on other articles across the web, you’ll find all of the same talking points. They have the same strategy as the right-winger Fox News correspondents. Make up an argument, have everyone say it incessantly, and hope it sticks by default.
Further, the Pacquiao fans who are touting this company line are only hurting their own man. Why are you making up excuses for your fighter when he got the decision and won the fight?
Why do you discredit your fighter’s best opponent, and as a result, discredit your fighter’s wins over him? Great fighters who battle one another in trilogies like this one are both raised immensely in public view, both at the time and historically. By bashing one fighter and tearing him down, the accomplishment and the victory is trashed as well. It doesn’t make sense.
Enough of the “Marquez is a dirty boxer, Manny got cheated talk!” It’s ridiculous.
