LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao has the numbers to prove that he had the better end of his third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.
And numbers don’t lie.
Based on the final punchstats provided by Compubox, Pacquiao threw and landed more punches after 12 rounds of action at the MGM Grand Saturday.
Pacquiao, the stats sheet said, threw a total of 578 punches and connected 176 times for 30 percent accuracy. Marquez unleashed 436 punches and landed less, 138.
In the jabs department, Pacquiao landed 59 of 304 while Marquez landed only 38 of 182 jabs. In the power punches, again it was Pacquiao who threw more and landed more.
Pacquiao threw 274 power punches and found the mark 117 times, and Marquez threw 254 of them, and connected a hundred times.
Pacquiao was the busier fighter, even if Marquez, the great counterpuncher, landed the clearer blows. The average punches per round went 49 thrown and 14 landed for Pacquiao, and 36 thrown and 11 landed for Marquez.
“Whatever that means, those are the Compubox figures,” said Bob Arum.
He said it was quite understandable for Mexicans fans as well as Marquez to feel they were robbed because it was indeed a tough fight, a close one they said.
“Of course the emotions run high. But watching the fight I realized that not only the fight was close but unlike most fights the individual rounds were also close.
“So if you’re rooting for one guy over the other,” Arum said, these people will have the tendency to award each round to their boxer.
Arum said it’s hard to quarrel with judge Robert Hoyle’s 114-114 card, or Dave Moretti’s 115-113 and Glenn Trowbridge’s 116-123, both in favor of Pacquiao.
“I also don’t think you can quarrel with the 115-113 for Manny or if he scored it 115-113 for Marquez you cannot quarrel with that either,” said Arum, who’s been in boxing for more than 40 years now.
He said the HBO panel and the announcers had it 8-4 for Pacquiao.
“The problem is if rounds are close they are very difficult to score,” said Arum.
“I’m not the best scorer but I had it 7-5 for Pacquiao. And HBO had it 8-4 for Pacquiao. All these are acceptable,” he added.