Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez III, billed as The 25th Round Begins, was a professional boxing match contested on November 12, 2011, for the WBO welterweight championship.
Pacquiao and Márquez had previously faced each other twice. Their first meeting, on May 8, 2004, at the MGM Grand, ended in a draw. They fought again on March 15, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay, where Pacquiao won via a split decision. Both encounters were shrouded in dispute with regards to who won and this subsequently led to a rubber match between the two fighters where Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said that he wanted to leave "all doubt behind."
CNN broadcast HBO's 24/7 on free cable and in addition to the HBO Deal, Pacquiao-Marquez III was promoted during the Major League Baseball playoffs on TBS. A four-city press tour covering an estimated 25,000 miles across three countries started on September 3 in Pacquiao's adopted hometown of Manila and ended on September 8 in Mexico City. The bout marked the second time Marquez jumped from Lightweight to Welterweight. His first attempt was a September 2009 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was making his return to boxing.
The bout took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and was distributed by HBO PPV at a catchweight of 144 lbs. The fight also marked a return to HBO for Pacquiao and drew 1.4 million pay-per-view buys.
Like what was done before with Manny Pacquiao's previous fight against Shane Mosley, Jimi Jamison, the former lead vocalist of the band Survivor, sang "Eye of the Tiger" as Pacquiao approached the ring.
"No me se rajar" was the mariachi song that accompanied Juan Manuel Marquez during his entrance. It was performed by Raul Sandoval, a popular Mexican mariachi singer.
Pacquiao defeated Márquez via majority decision 114âÂÂ114, 115âÂÂ113, and 116âÂÂ112. Upon the results being announced, the crowd reaction was largely negative with thousands continuing to boo as Pacquiao spoke with Max Kellerman.
According to Compubox, Marquez was outlanded an average of 3 punches per round (14 to 11 punches landed). Pacquiao also threw 142 punches more than Marquez and landed 38 more punches, connecting at a higher percentage rate in power shots. Though in jabs, Marquez turned out to be the one landing at a higher rate, despite being outlanded 59 to 38.http://www.pacquiaovideo.com/2011/11/pacquiao-vs-marquez-3-winner-at.html
Even though Pacquiao won a close decision, Marquez's fans in the audience believed that Marquez had won the fight. Some of the audience reacted to the decision by hurling food, beer, and ice; a can of beer hit a ringside writer, though no record of any injuries exists. The Ring, which produces its own version of boxing's lineal championships, scored the bout in different ways: its editor, Michael Rosenthal, scored the bout 115âÂÂ113 for Pacquiao; two of its writers, Lem Satterfield and Mike Koppinger, scored the bout for Marquez 117âÂÂ111 respectively. Another writer â Doug Fischer, scored the bout a draw.
Some Filipino TV news networks and their internet news websites showed photos of Marquez stepping on PacquiaoâÂÂs foot six times. However, such occurrences are common between orthodox and southpaw fighters as they attempt to keep their lead foot on the outside of their opponent's. Freddie Roach has addressed the Juan Manuel Marquez "foot-stomping" issue that has become a much discussed topic among Manny Pacquiao fans; he understands that when southpaws and orthodox fight, feet will inevitably collide.
Confirmed bouts: