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Thursday, September 10, 2009

Pacquiao and Marquez made each other so much better


It's one thing to be great, but another to even strive to push yourself to be even greater. Pacquiao and Marquez gave each other the reason to do so.

Rivalries between greats are what elevates any sport to the next level. Think about the Celtics and the Lakers, Colts versus Patriots, Yankees-Red Sox, Manchester United-Liverpool and right in boxing's archives, Ali versus Frazier.

Not only do fight fans love to see two great teams or athletes go up against each other and give it their all, rivalries between the best are like two opposing forces that conjure up a tornado leaving those who witness it in awe of it's sheer brilliance and impact.

Just like how Larry Bird and Magic Johnson pushed each other throughout their college and pro careers and made each other better and compete harder, the same can be said with Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.

It was a perfect clash between two opposing styles and two equally determined competitors with work ethics second to none. After giving it both their all in their Fight of the Year of 2004 that ended in a stalemate and their controversial fight last year which Pacquiao won via split-decision by the slimmest of margins, each worked on improving the nicks in their game that was exposed by the other.

Not only have Pacquiao and Marquez been the consensus number one and two pound-for-pound fighters since their last clash, they have also drastically dominated their opponents while showing improvements on the facets they needed to- Pacquiao with his defense and counter-punching, Marquez with his aggression and finishing off fights. By themselves, Pacquiao and Marquez were two individually great fighters, after their classic wars in the ring however, they elevated each other to "all-time" status-"two of the greatest fighters of all-time" status.

It takes two exceptional fighters to make such a special rivalry happen. The difference between Pacquiao and Marquez's rivalry compared to other rivalries out there fueled by personal dislike and anger is the fact that these two men respect the greatness about each other. Their quest is not to destroy the other person like how Barrera and Morales did against each other, their motivation is to prove who truly is the best in the sport. It's one thing to be great, but another to even strive to push yourself to be even greater. Pacquiao and Marquez gave each other the reason to do so.

A lot of you think I hate Floyd Mayweather Jr. which I can understand. Honestly though, I admire Floyd's skill and abilities, its just that its hard for me to put him in the same category as Pacquiao and Marquez simply because he did not really take on the biggest challenges out there to really test his skills and his claim to greatness. Does that mean he can't beat Marquez and/or Pacquiao? Hell no. Mayweather can beat anybody in the sport within his vicinity, but why pick on smaller guys? He could've made money against Mosley if not more, the perception is, the smaller Marquez offers less resistance.

Miguel Cotto has a far better resume than Floyd, and that's really what I'm all about. Floyd is a great boxer, probably the best in this era really, but boxing is a sport where you prove yourself and your skills inside the ring against the best possible opposition. It's a gladiator sport not a car show. You can upgrade your engine and pimp your ride but boxing isn't a beauty pageant. You have to go out there and race that car you built and prove if it truly is the best and can perform at the highest levels. How come Floyd has yet to fight the Mosleys, Cottos or someone like Paul Williams? I'll save that for a different article on a different day however, this one is about Pacquiao and Marquez.

I admire Pacquiao and Marquez for the very reasons I question Mayweather's greatness. All they've done since I've followed both their careers is to go up and find the biggest challenge out there and try to set the bar higher. Higher they indeed have as they have not only inspired each other to work on their weaknesses and strive to be the best, they have also left others in the dust by the level of competition they have pushed each other to endure. And on the way of doing so, they have captured the imaginations of the boxing world, providing the most excitement out of any two fighters in the sport and definitely placed the lower weight classes on the driver's seat of the sport's landscape.

So for those who are certain about a Mayweather victory on the 19th, I'll leave you this this to think about. Marquez has been in the ring with a stronger and faster fighter before and more than held his own, in fact in several analysts' opinion, he won. Mayweather on the other hand has not faced a fighter who has the patience and skill that Marquez has and in my opinion, someone who is smarter than him inside the ring. Add to that the ring rust and the questionable ribs, and you got the perfect recipe for an 'upset'.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m9d9-Pacquiao-and-Marquez-made-each-other-so-much-better

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