Have you ever tried to reunite with someone you had a relationship with early in life and learned that the person you finally “got back with” wasn’t nearly worth what they used to be? Loss is imminent and sometimes we lose things and people we think we deserved to keep-but that did little to keep the cruel claws of life’s scorecards from going against you. You learned to move on, rationalize, seethe with resentment and even improve upon the area’s you felt that person judged you to be inadequate in. That “time” when you were denied was singular and it will never be again and sometimes we have to learn we can’t go back. Years pile up and you change, that person who hurt you also goes through changes and so too will the circumstances and magic that once surrounded your connection. Boxing is like that, and with time and punishment placing just above natural growth two fighters can find themselves at the mercy of all manner of factors beyond their control. Like a dish sensitive to time in the oven some fights can come about too soon or way too late, and rematches like movie sequels are prone to the burden of the previous installments. When something goes wrong, when a judgment is dishonorable lives are affected and the victimized gladiator may have to endure thousands of punches just to get himself back to that pedestal again. How many punches did Juan Manuel Marquez absorb since last November when he was given the wrong end of the decision AGAIN against Manny Pacquiao and what will it mean for him to defeat a clearly diminished version of the Filipino icon tonight?.
Bernard Hopkins “should’ have fought Roy Jones 4 times, but he and “Mr. Untouchable” took turns being afraid of one another until it just didn’t matter anymore. Finally, like a mugger he waited for an elderly, cash strapped Jones to walk down the street and assaulted what was left of him-“Philly style”. Notoriously psychological Hopkins celebrated like the nerd who finally got the chance to fire the guy who used to be the “Big Man on Campus” despite them both being at a crappy job. Muhammad Ali finally put a whooping on Joe Frazier in Manila, and it nearly killed him- what will it do to Juan Manuel Marquez? Who clearly has to knock Pacquiao out tonight. The rules of the game have clearly changed and the Scientific Boxer at 39 is being forced to come at the puncher and fight the only fight that can make Pacquiao look like himself again-how unfair is that?. Skills age like fine wine, and pressure fighters erode like NFL Running Backs but if you stand in front of Pacquiao he won’t have to be that same hungry kid to put Marquez on his ass again. As a historian I look very unfavorably at the results of fights between old men, because I believe what occurred closest to the prime that God and not GNC afforded us is actually the truth. Juan Manuel Marquez may disagree, but I just believe that 2004 and 2008 gave us a more vivid view on what he and Pacquiao do together, and whatever occurs tonight is ceremonial. If it were not, there would not have been such an unprecedented integration with CNN, ESPN and any other outlet Top Rank can reach to convince the unsophisticated something special is occurring. Now don’t get me wrong two Hall of Famers who want to sort out their rivalry is special, I just believe many of us in the know would rather see Marquez tested by Danny Garcia while Pacquiao and Mayweather finally get it on. If Marquez were to finally vanquish a foe it would merely be a confirmation of what many were starting to feel about Pacquiao-like Antonio Tarver before him Marquez wants to be the one to claim “If he was shot, I’m the one who shot him”. Mexican fans may rejoice tonight but getting that girl back in your bed 20lbs. and a couple of kids later isn’t the same as keeping her when she was the hottest girl you’d ever seen. I just wonder if the last two installments of this fight were merely vehicles used by Top Rank to ensure Mayweather/Pacquiao Gridlock continued, a high pressed diversionary tactic to keep you and I believing the Sport is doing enough to validate our addiction.
Marquez and Nacho Beristain are probably not aware of the speeches of Malcolm X but I’m sure they could relate to this analogy. When criticizing the philosophy of religious based nonviolence and incremental change Malcolm charged: “they want you to pray, be passive and have faith in something off in the distant future, I want my freedom right now!” A decision tonight will never redeem what Marquez should have been given in 2008 because of who Manny “became” off of this victory, a global icon with a country he can actually call a possession or a trinket. The only reason to buy this thing is the one “honest” factor Top Rank is selling; a KO, somebody has to go tonight to eliminate the shadow hovering over both legacies. Pacquiao has to put him down and keep him down-Marquez may have to make sure this is the last time we lay eyes on Pacquiao, because victory is not enough. I can’t think of any other way for either man to be OK after tonight, no other way you can look at your cable bill in January (while assessing the bigger chunk taken out of your check) and be OK with it. A wise man once told me Revenge is rarely necessary but when you deem it so it’s best that it is thorough and absolute with no room for retaliation-if it isn’t complete then walk away. We’ll see tonight just how much both men want complete vengeance, the kind that leaves no doubt about who the superior man is-the kind that unfortunately changes lives as it did with Ali and Frazier. I wish there was another way for Marquez to be avenged, but he’s too old and it’s too late in the game for any other way- if his hand is raised and Pacquiao is not laid out on the canvas it will be too little, too late.
