The camp of Juan Manuel Marquez tried to persuade the Nevada State Athletic Commission to retract the appointment of Joe Cortez as referee in the fight against Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last May 8.
Boxing News editor Claude Abrams revealed that "the Marquez camp was not too happy with the selection of Cortez and made attempts to have the third man–a Puerto Rican–switched because they believed, without foundation, he was biased against Mexican boxers."
Apparently, Cortez found out about Marquez’ frustrated lobby and took the extra mile to assuage the Mexican camp by showing maximum tolerance for the defending World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight champion during the 12-round fight.
"Cortez, in fact, allowed Marquez to survive the first (round) when many refs might have considered stopping it," wrote Abrams in the May 14 issue of the London trade paper.
Not only did Cortez appear to protect Marquez in the opening round but he also held back from deducting even a point from the Mexican despite at least four warnings for low blows. The usual practice in boxing is for the referee to deduct a point on the third warning of a repeat violation.
Marquez’ camp clearly got into Cortez’ mind and used reverse psychology to make the referee tolerant of the Mexican’s behavior in the ring. Cortez went out of his way to prove he’s not biased against Mexican fighters and to curry favor with the Latino crowd.
Cortez, 60, worked his 163rd world title fight. A two-time Golden Gloves champion, he was introduced to boxing by veteran welterweight Gaspar Ortega in 1959. Ortega trained Cortez and his brother Mike. After 45 amateur fights as a bantamweight, Cortez turned pro and compiled an 18-1 record in four years as a pro. He retired from boxing to manage a hotel in Puerto Rico then became a referee.
Abrams scored the fight 114-112 for Marquez but said, "on reflection, the draw was probably a fair and profitable result." He took issue with judges John Stewart and Guy Jutras who scored five-point margins for different fighters. The 10-point disparity was glaring if not suspicious.
"It’s difficult to comprehend such diverse totals from experienced officials," said Abrams. "In this case, the judges were watching completely different fights, a point made strikingly clear by the fact Stewart awarded Marquez only one round after the sixth whereas Jutras had the Mexican winning all but one round after the opening session."
Abrams said a rematch will generate bigger purses for both fighters and more interest from fans.
"There were only 7,129 in the arena, most of them noisy Filipinos but you can be sure the numbers attending any return–not on the bottom of their rematch contracts–will be much higher," said
Abrams. "Bob Arum, who promotes Marquez and co-promoted the event with Murad Muhammad, admitted that at the end of the torrid opening three minutes during which Juan Manuel was so nearly annihilated, he would have happily taken the draw."
Arum credited Pacquiao for agreeing to face Marquez. "Everybody–Hamed, Barrera, all of them–ducked Marquez," said Arum. "They ran for the hills."
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach was overheard by Abrams urging the Filipino to go all out before the last round "We need this round badly," Roach told Pacquiao.
"Marquez showed a lot of heart but no way did he win 10 of the last 11 rounds after the first," said Roach. "Manny kept trying to land one punch instead of throwing combinations. The combinations and speed are Manny’s bread and butter. If you don’t count the first round, though, I’d say it was a draw. But you can’t discount. The last six rounds were back and forth."
Abrams said the outcome boosted Marquez’ image more than Pacquiao’s. "Marquez, noted for his skill and impeccable timing, has now proved he possesses that incredible bravery which seems born into every great Mexican fighter," noted Abrams. "Marquez is a more deliberate, smooth operator. He is everything Pacquiao isn’t–calm, measured, relaxed and patient. He is an outstanding boxer with a vast selection of quality shots. (But) Pacquiao possesses the irrepressible element that often is a thorn on the side of thoughtful, precise operators such as Marquez."
Abrams said Marquez started boxing at the age of 12. His father Rafael was a pro and his brother Rafael, Jr. is the IBF bantamweight titlist. Marquez wanted to compete in the 1992 Olympics but a dispute with the Mexican Olympic Committee ruined his hopes. Until 2000, he worked as an accountant for the Mexican government and was a parttime boxer. Marquez is married and has a son.
Meanwhile, lawyer and sportsman Rudy Salud said even if Pacquiao didn’t win–he didn’t lose either, he will give him a "trio" of a rooster and two hens. "I’m reserving my world champion rooster for Manny in his next fight," said Salud. "I know he can beat up Marquez if he prepares himself. Now, I’m giving him one of my champion derby roosters. In the US, trios are bought from $1,000 to $10,000. They’re for breeding."
Salud met with Pacquiao’s business manager Rod Nazario yesterday to share his insights on the fight. "I advised Rod to tell Manny never to get out of shape and never again to cram in training," said Salud.