Marquez worried about Pacquiao after knockout

MANILA, Philippines – The moment referee Kenny Bayless waved the fight off as Manny Pacquiao lay motionless on the canvas after absorbing a thunderous counter right from Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mexican rushed to a corner and raised his hands to celebrate.

There was his bitter rival, laying face down, finally conquered. It was vindication for Marquez, a fitting end to the epic rivalry he shared with Pacquiao. He had all the reason in the world to celebrate this defining win – arguably the biggest of his career – after falling short in three previous bouts with the same opponent.

But Marquez cut the celebration short. After acknowledging the crowd who cheered him on at the MGM Grand, Marquez glanced back at the still-motionless Pacquiao. And when the Filipino finally regained consciousness and sat on a stool, Marquez approached him to check if he’s fine.

Marquez admitted getting concerned about the man he just knocked out cold.

“We are human beings and what you want is good health outside of the ring and I did feel a little bad because I'm professional and did not know how he would react, physically [after I saw him laying there],” Marquez said in an article by boxingscene.com’s Miguel Rivera.

He had trained for four grueling months for this win. But when Marquez saw the outcome, he still couldn’t help feeling for his fallen rival.

“I was worried, but he recovered well after a few minutes,” Marquez added.

Pacquiao would eventually turn out fine after the fight, having been taken to a hospital and getting a negative result after a CT scan.

Only then can Marquez finally start savoring the win.