Pacquiao vs. Marquez Purse: Dinamita Deserves Bigger Share of Prize Money

From watching the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday night, you'd think that Pac-Man was guaranteed more than just a disproportionately large share of the purse.

By the judges, that is, if you don't catch my drift.

Pacquiao was set to earn at least $22 million from the fight, not including his share of the pay-per-view pie, while Marquez was scheduled to carry home at least $5 million—the biggest take of his illustrious career.

However, one look at the tape of the fight will show that Marquez, based on his performance, deserved a much greater share, perhaps more than Pacquiao.

Granted, Pacquiao gets most of the money from just about every one of his fights by sheer marketability alone, and rightfully so. The guy is a worldwide phenomenon and a huge draw for millions of people around the world, particularly his most rabid fans back in his native Philippines. He's the superstar who people plunk down their hard-earned money to see fight. Marquez is a tremendous fighter with a vast pool of supporters, but his sheer notoriety and earning potential pales in comparison to that of Pacquiao. 

But as far as performance and entertainment value are concerned, it's Marquez who took the cake on Saturday night and, as such, deserves to eat it, too. He outboxed Pacquiao, using technique and timing to dictate the terms of the fight while Pac-Man seemed to move about uneasily, as if he were dazed and confused.

Too much singing with Jimmy Kimmel, perhaps.

Whatever the case may be, Marquez was once again denied one last fair shot at glory and the earning potential that comes with it. A skilled lawyer could probably argue that Saturday's decision was a form of slander against Marquez's good name, as it held and will continue to hold him back from the greater fame and fortune that his performance merited.

It's a shame, too, that on a night that began with a moving tribute to "Smokin'" Joe Frazier, Marquez, like Frazier with Ali, is destined to go down in the history books as little more than a footnote to Pacquiao's (illicitly) illustrious career. 

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.