Photo Credit: AP/Eric Jamison

 

Las Vegas’s MGM Grand arena was pure pandemonium Saturday evening as thousands packed in to see the Pacquiao vs Marquez fight. Dubbed as a highly aniticipated fight amongst the Latin and Filipino cultures, the fight was expected to garner millions of pay-per-views despite not having an American fighter.  Well, this fight lived up to the hype and millions tuned in – securing a big payday for Pacquiao and Marquez.

 

In one of the most surprising blows in boxing history, Juan Manual Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao halfway through the match. The 6th round KO was unexpected as Pacquiao was clearly leading in landed punches. But, he admits in post-fight interviews that his over-confidence lead to his ultimate demise. The pound-for-pound brawl between the two was somewhat expected by boxing enthusiaists. Both men have entered the ring three times before with each match going all 12 rounds.  What many didn’t expect was the high-level of aggression the two would display straight out the gate.

 

The fight, which ended in a KO by Marquez who describes it as luck and the “perfect punch”, proved that Pacquiao is NOT untouchable afterall.  As the ultimate match between Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao (and $180 million) lingers in the air, the Pacman still reigns as the second highest paid athlete in the world.  Saturday’s fight did not disappoint his pockets either.  According to reports, Pacquiao was contracted to take home an automatic $9 million, plus an estimated $25 million in pay-per-view sales.

 

Pacquiao may have received the worse KO in boxing history, but his mass appeal guarantees him major stacks whether he wins or lose.