In an hour, he would face his longtime nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, in the latest, most confounding meeting in their trilogy. But in this room, surrounded by a handful of his closest confidants late Saturday, he attended to more important matters — such as practicing his air guitar, repeating “I am a rebel” as his head bobbed furiously up and down.  In walked Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach.  “They’re waiting for you,” Roach said.  “Whatever you want,” Pacquiao responded.  “Don’t get smart,” Roach said. “You know what to do.”  Pacquiao grew more serious, more intense. His eyes narrowed. And he said, softly, to no one in particular, “Don’t worry. In a few hours, our job will be done.”  The task would prove more difficult and controversial than expected, as Marquez punched in, or, more accurately, punched Pacquiao repeatedly in the face. By the 12th and final round, that face was bloody, Marquez’s right eye was nearly swollen shut and controversy hovered over the proceedings, same as always with these two.  Later, as the crowd threw beer cans toward the ring, booing loudly and lustily, the majority decision was announced: Pacquiao had won. Again. This elicited cries of robbery, from Marquez in particular. Again. These two are also likely to meet. Again.  Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing, said afterward, “He was bound and determined to find a definitive winner once and for all.” He will aim for another rematch in May 2012. Pacquiao also said he wanted a fourth bout.  “I clearly won the fight,” Pacquiao said, his words drowned out by jeers raining down from the rafters. “It was close, but I won.”  When the final bell rung, after another instant classic, Marquez raised his right hand and jumped on the top rope, as the crowd erupted. Pacquiao jogged to his corner, this fight, same as the previous two fights, now beholden to the judges’ scorecards. Tension rose, quickly filling the arena while music boomed and trainers tended to Pacquiao’s cut.  It was not Marquez, who appeared to control the fight, who won it. Instead, it was Pacquiao (54-3-2), who retained his title via majority decision, ahead by two rounds according to one judge, one round according to another and tied according to a third.  Through six, this fight proved just as close, the tension just as high, the contrast in style just as stark as the two earlier bouts. Again, the counterpunching of Marquez seemed to force Pacquiao off-balance, and both men landed their share of shots. Pacquiao did not look like a 9 to 1 favorite, but perhaps Marquez had been undersold, underestimated, all along.  The deeper the fight went, the more Marquez flummoxed Pacquiao, flustering the champion more than any opponent, since, well, Marquez in 2008. Marquez hit Pacquiao with straight right hands and short right hooks and an uppercut or five. Yet by the end of Round 8, Marquez’s right eye appeared swollen.  By Round 9, the unfathomable seemed more than possible, and people began to say it out loud: Pacquiao might lose. Pacquiao is losing. The two traded punches in furious combinations, the crowd on its feet, chanting, screaming, not sure if it could believe what was unfolding in the ring. By the time the next round ended, blood trickled down the right side of Pacquiao’s face, perhaps, replays showed, from an accidental head butt.  Roach arrived hours before Pacquiao and settled into a chair in locker room No. 2. He, too, appeared calm, as he conducted his pre-fight ritual, laying tape, scissors and gauze out for the champ’s hands. Roach even helped an assistant choose between two pairs of heels, so loose was the vibe.  Talk turned to Joe Frazier, one of Roach’s favorite fighters, who died last week. With Muhammad Ali, Frazier completed perhaps the greatest trilogy in boxing history. They famously fought once in the Philippines — the Thrilla in Manila — before Pacquiao was born there. Pacquiao later procured a tape from an uncle.
Manny Pacquiao won a 114-114, 115-113, 116-112 decision over longtime rival Juan Manuel Marquez in a World Boxing Organization title bout.