Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez’s rivalry spanned eight years, four fights and 42 rounds before one punch ended it.

You don’t usually get to fight four of a rivalry when one boxer hasn’t won any of the first three, however, Pacquiao vs Marquez was unique due to several controversial scorecards.

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Pacquiao and Marquez shared one of the great boxing rivalriesCredit: Getty
Marquez survived three first-round knockdowns to draw fight one, lost a very close decision in fight two, and then got robbed in fight three, before settling the score in December 2012.

The Mexican fan favourite scored his first knockdown of the series in round three when he feinted to the body before landing a looping overhand right that floored Pacquiao.

After recovering during the fourth frame, Pacquiao got his revenge early in round five, which was subsequently crowned Round of the Year by several media outlets.

Marquez jumped back to his feet and wobbled the Filipino boxing legend, but he responded with a furious series of punches that buckled his rival’s knees and caused a broken nose.

Pacquiao enjoyed similar success in round six, but as he backed Marquez against the ropes and went looking for a KO shot, he ran into a counter right hand that left him out cold on the canvas.

After getting his long overdue win over Pacquiao, ‘JMM’ made no secret about his tough night at the office while celebrating landing the best punch of his career.

“I knew I could be knocked out at any time when he was coming at me in those last three rounds,” Marquez said.

“But I threw the perfect punch.”

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Marquez nailed his nemesis to the canvas in 2012

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Each of their previous three fights had some sort of controversial ending but fight four ended in a conclusive mannerCredit: Getty
Pacquiao and Marquez first met in 2004 for the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine featherweight titles.

On that occasion, Marquez survived three early knockdowns to score a controversial split draw at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Judge Burt Clements, who scored the fight 113-113, later admitted he did not realize he could give a 10-6 round. If Clements had scored the opening round 10-6, as the other two judges had, Pacquiao would’ve won by split decision.

“I just screwed up,” Clements said at the time.

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Pacquiao ended the rivalry with two wins and a drawCredit: Sean Michael Ham/TGB
“I feel badly because I dropped the ball, plainly and simply. You can make a lot of arguments that it was a very close fight, but that’s immaterial. The fact is, I dropped the ball.”

Despite the controversy, the result stood, and it was four years before they rematched in the same city, only this time at Mandalay Bay Events Center, on March 15, 2008.

Another close fight, which could have gone either way, ended with Pacquiao getting a long overdue split decision win over Marquez – but it was clear their rivalry was not over.

Three years later, they fought again for the WBO welterweight title.

This time, Pacquiao picked up a majority decision win, but the trilogy bout was more controversial than the others, despite the fact none of the judges gave the fight to Marquez.

Fans in the audience protested Marquez’s loss by hurling food, beer, and ice towards the ring – setting the scene for an unlikely fourth fight.

Marquez got the last laugh in their epic battle that saw 42 rounds of boxingCredit: Getty
After finally beating his biggest rival, Marquez fought two more times before retiring in May 2014.

‘PacMan’ hung up his gloves in 2021 and in an interview with Ring magazine acknowledged that Marquez had the best skill set he faced.

“He is the only fighter who really could figure me out and anticipate my moves,” Pacquiao said. “He is a brilliant counterpuncher and a tremendous warrior.”

However, this was before he faced Floyd Mayweather in 2015.

Pacquiao has since returned to the ring for two exhibition bouts and is booked to face former K-1 super lightweight champion Rukiya Anpo.

Their ‘special standing bout rules’ contest will take place at a 152lb catchweight at Super RIZIN 3 in Saitama, Japan on July 28.