Pacquiao said afterwards that he would not retire but the result wrecks the bargaining power that Bob Arum, his promoter, had in negotiations with Mayweather. Talks over a contract match Pacquiao with the undefeated American welterweight have stalled several times over the past three years.
Pacquiao’s defeat is likely to be named fight of the year after the two men went toe to toe in a thrilling encounter. Having gone the distance in each of their previous three encounters, producing two controversial points victories for Pacquiao and a drawn bout, both men had promised to seek a decisive finish. They were as good as their word.
Pacquiao went down in the third round but then floored Márquez in the fifth. The pair continued to trade blows until Pacquiao walked into an overhand right late in the sixth and crashed face-first to the floor.
The referee, Kenny Bayless, waved the fight to an end as Márquez celebrated and the sold-out crowd at the MGM erupted. Pacquiao was down for about two minutes before his handlers helped him to his feet.
“I threw a perfect punch,” Márquez said. “I knew Manny could knock me out at any time. I felt he was coming to knock me out the last three rounds and I knew he was going to be wide open.”
