Pacquiao vs. Marquez Results: Pac-Man Will Be Thankful for Reality Check

Manny Pacquiao was supposed to destroy Juan Manuel Marquez. After going the distance with him in their first two bouts, Pac-Man was supposed to knock Marquez out and brush away the question marks once and for all.

That didn't happen. Despite all the talk about Pacquiao being the more complete fighter with all the welterweight experience needed to defeat Marquez, the third fight ended up being just as bloody and just as evenly matched as the first two bouts.

The first fight was a draw. The second was a split decision for Pac-Man. Ultimately, the third and final bout was a majority decision for Pac-Man. Depending on who you ask, Pac-Man was lucky to walk away with it.

If you ask me, I think that is absolutely correct. Pacquiao was the better fighter in the ring, but not by much. That caught me off-guard in a big way, and I know for a fact that I'm not the only one.

In retrospect, however, that Pac-Man ended up being in an actual fight is not all that surprising. We talk a lot about Pac-Man being the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world (and he is just that), but it's not like he was challenged in any of his recent fights.

Then along comes Marquez, one of the only men on earth who can claim to have Pac-Man's number without sounding like a complete loon.

Lo and behold, he showed on Saturday night that the three years that have passed since their last fight in 2008 haven't made him old and feeble. He gave as good as he got, and you can rest assured Pac-Man's going to be hurting for a while.

Sooner or later, Pac-Man is going to sit down and reflect on this fight. He will think really hard about what exactly he learned, and how he can use what he learned.

What he learned, in so many words, is that he is less than invincible. He is often billed as such, but Marquez proved that Pac-Man is human.

It was a reality check.

And this is a good thing. Every fighter should be reminded of their own mortality from time to time. And indeed, who better to remind Pac-Man than his bitter rival? 

The general consensus, or at least the general hope, is that Pac-Man will up the ante with his next fight. Maybe he'll fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Or maybe it will be Amir Kahn. Heck, he may even fight Sergio Martinez.

Whoever he settles on, all signs point towards Pac-Man's next opponent being no pushover. Thanks to his fight with Marquez, we can take it for granted that Pac-Man won't be a pushover, either.

He was, after all, very nearly pushed over.

For the latest news and updates on Pacquiao Vs. Marquez, and for all the latest news and insight on all things boxing, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's Boxing Central.