What phillippines fans think !!! Who won the fight...Article...

Manila, Philippines -- It was as if the crowd was coming from a funeral. Gone were the excited and happy faces, replaced by hunched backs and heads hung low, shaking in disbelief.

I did not stay for the official announcement of the winner between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, but judging by the way the faces of fans coming out of the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City for Solar Sports' viewing of the fight, it was clear who won the fight.

"Marquez should've won that," said one passer-by.

"Wait. So Pacquiao won?" I asked a stranger amongst the crowd.

"Yes sir. They used some 'hocus-pocus'," he replied.

If you ask me, it was clear who won that fight. But then again, I am no boxing judge and can only rely on my opinion and what I saw. I had Marquez winning by a couple of points, thanks to his clean and superb counterpunching, for controlling the fight and for his ring generalship.

It took Pacquiao six rounds before he started consistently throwing right hooks and cutting-off Marquez, who was pivoting to his left while backing up to avoid Pacquiao's lethal left. Before that, Pacquiao kept chasing and looked like the same Pacquiao who lost more rounds to Marquez during their first two fights.

When Pacquiao finally adjusted and gained success with his hooks, and started cutting off the ring, Marquez readjusted and flustered Pacquiao again by timing his opponent's money punch by ducking, mixing his counters with agression, and beating him to the punch before he can set it up. Pacquiao did land his punches as well, but Marquez landed the cleaner shots and controlled the fight.

"Everyone of us thought Marquez won," said another disappointed fan.

"Marquez won?" I made sure to ask him.

"Even me personally, I scored the fight and had Marquez up by two rounds. What can you say? It's boxing," he emphasized.

Asked what he felt was wrong with Pacquiao's performance.

"He was waiting for Marquez to move or to punch. He needs to initiate more," he replied.

In typical Filipino fashion, one guy made light of the moment by cracking a joke. "How can Marquez win, when his opponent is a Congressman?" he said.

Throughout the day, most of the people I encountered on the streets, in the mall and in the gym, felt that Pacquiao is indeed lucky to have come out of that fight with a win, and that Marquez should've have been given the decision. But there are also those who insisted that a challenger like Marquez needed to do more to dethrone a champion like Pacquiao.