Manny Pacquiao: Why Victory Against Juan Manuel Marquez Was Hollow

After a draw and a controversial, split-decision victory over Juan Manuel Marquez in their first two meetings, Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao wanted and needed a decisive victory over his foe on Saturday night.

While Pacquiao was awarded a majority-decision win in defending his WBO World Welterweight Championship, his victory was far from convincing. Marquez looked like the better fighter throughout the night, as he constantly befuddled Pacquiao with his frustrating, counter-punching style.

The fight was a lot like the movie Groundhog's Day as it seemed we had all seen that same exact fight before. In the end, the results were eerily similar as well. Rather than a split decision, however, Pacquiao was awarded the fight based on a majority decision of 114-114, 115-113 and 116-112.

Following the bout, Pac-Man looked like a defeated man while Marquez seemed to think he had done enough to finally get over the hump against Pacquiao. The partisan Las Vegas crowd surprisingly agreed, as it was clearly pro-Marquez in nature.

The result whipped the crowd into a frenzy, though, as it was announced that Pacquiao had once again slipped by Marquez. Following the decision, Marquez stormed angrily out of the ring, and rightfully so as he got a bit of a raw deal.

While the Pacquiao win wasn't as egregious as some may think, I believe Marquez deserved a draw at the very least. Pac-Man came on late in the fight, but he certainly wasn't as effective as we have grown accustomed to seeing him.

Pac-Man became the aggressor out of necessity, and while many of his punches failed to land cleanly, I think the judges rewarded him for coming forward rather than being complacent. Still, despite the win, Pacquiao failed to erase all doubt.

Many people, and Marquez said as much throughout the pre-fight process, felt like Marquez won either one or both of the previous meetings between the fighters. Marquez's insistence rubbed Pacquiao the wrong way, and he was determined to prove he was the better fighter once and for all.

He didn't do that on Saturday night, however, and the end result is that Pacquiao looks more human than he has in quite some time. This certainly could bode well for the Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight everyone is clamoring for, as Mayweather may now view Pacquiao as beatable.

Before Pacquiao moves on to fight Mayweather, though, he must give consideration to a fourth match in his epic rivalry with Marquez. Some may say that Marquez doesn't deserve another fight, as he has already lost twice to Pacquiao, but I beg to differ.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pacquiao wants nothing to do with Marquez after three near losses, but if he doesn't fight him again, then Marquez will always be that albatross hanging over his legacy.

I'm not sure anyone truly believes that Pacquiao has been the better fighter across his trilogy with Marquez, and while he has come away victorious twice, he needs to remove all doubt. If Pac-Man wants to validate his career, then he needs to fight Marquez for an unprecedented fourth time, and he needs to prove once and for all that he is the better boxer.