Sunday, May 09, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Marquez, Pacquiao brawl to draw

Scoring error by judge makes difference in controversial result

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Featherweight Juan Manuel Marquez, left, lands a hard left hand while absorbing a right from Manny Pacquiao in the seventh round of their controversial draw Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Photo by John Locher. Feather- weights Juan Manuel Marquez, left, and Manny Pacquiao both raise their hands after fighting to a 12-round draw Saturday night at the MGM Grand. Photo by John Locher.

The hangman was coming to send Juan Manuel Marquez to the gallows. Manny Pacquiao knocked down the WBA/IBF featherweight champion three times and nearly out in the first round of their highly anticipated fight at the MGM Grand on Saturday night.

And only Marquez's desire allowed him to survive a Pacquiao assault in the second.

But in an outcome that stunned an announced 7,129 in attendance and perhaps even Marquez, the Mexican veteran was not only on his feet at the end of the 12th round but believing he'd won. Each judge saw the fight differently, however, and it wound up a draw.

Judge Guy Jutras saw it 115-110 for Marquez. John Stewart had it by the same score, but in favor of Pacquiao. Burt Clements judged it a draw, 113-113.

The decision outraged both sides, but the Pacquiao camp was infuriated after learning that Clements admitted making a scoring mistake in the first round. Clements scored the round 10-7 for Pacquiao, while Stewart and Jutras had it 10-6. Had Clements scored it 10-6, as he later said he should have, Pacquiao would have won.

"Basically, I screwed up," Clements said. "I was of the understanding that in a round with two or more knockdowns -- multiple knockdowns -- it should have been 10-7. I immediately gave the card to Marc (Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission) and said, `You don't want 10-6s, right?' "

Ratner said he felt the round should have been 10-6, as did Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach, who said he was amazed by Jutras' score in Marquez's favor.

Roach said he scored the round 10-6 and could not understand how Clements came up with 10-7.

"(Pacquiao) knocked him down three times, he had him in trouble and all but stopped him," Roach said. "That's got to be 10-6 without thinking."

The controversy overshadowed a fierce battle in which each man stood in the center of the ring and swapped hard shots. Pacquiao said afterward he thought he broke his left hand in the first round and later went to Valley Hospital for X-rays.

He also was bothered by cramps in his right leg.

"One hundred percent, I won that fight," Pacquiao said, limping badly as he left his dressing room. "I don't know how anyone could say I didn't. But the hand, it hurt, and I had no balance because of the leg."

Also lost in the hubbub was Marquez's amazing comeback. He appeared to be ready to quit as he lay on his back after the third knockdown, looking to his corner in desperation as referee Joe Cortez counted. He gathered himself a bit in the second round, winning it on Jutras' card, then seemed to take command.

But even Marquez admitted he wasn't sure he would be standing 11 rounds later after the bell saved him at the end of the first.

"After the first I was a little disoriented," Marquez said. "But then I got into it again. He only won the first, maybe another. I thought I won this fight."

Jutras saw the fight as Marquez did, scoring the first round 10-6 for Pacquiao, then giving Marquez every other round except the eighth.

Roach was aghast at that scoring, saying, "There were some close rounds in there, but no way did Marquez win 10 of the last 11 rounds."

But he conceded the fight shouldn't have gone that far.

In the corner as the fight reached the middle rounds, Roach pleaded with Pacquiao to punch in combinations. Only later did he learn of the injury.

"As the first round was ending, I never thought there'd be another bell," Roach said. "I still thought Manny won the fight, but he couldn't fight the way he wanted."

Pacquiao would have gotten a shot at 130-pound champion Erik Morales had he won. Promoter Bob Arum said Carlos Hernandez will instead get that shot July 31 in a bout to unify the WBC and IBF titles.

Arum said he'll try to arrange Marquez-Pacquiao II, news that lit up the Filipino's face.

"Please," Pacquiao said. "Just one more time. Let's do it."