Pacquiao vs. Marquez Results: Why Controversial Decision Is Best for Boxing

For the betterment of boxing, which has been waning in fan interest over the past several years, it is probably best that Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao prevailed over Juan Manuel Marquez in a controversial majority decision Saturday night.

Because of his victory, Pacquiao could very well take on Floyd Mayweather in a fight that may help boxing rise from the ashes and back into the national spotlight. As good as Pacquiao winning was, the way it happened was equally good.

On the very same night Pacquiao and Marquez squared off, UFC launched its inaugural UFC on Fox card. The headline fight was Junior dos Santos against UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. While the result of Dos Santos winning was shocking, the fight lasted less than two minutes.

That, in my mind, is why UFC will never reach the level boxing once did. While the Velasquez vs. Dos Santos fight was on free television, it could just have easily been on pay-per-view like Pacquiao vs. Marquez III was.

In fact, on many occasions UFC main events have ended in mere minutes despite being billed as major attractions. Say what you will about boxing, but at least the headline fights tend to either go the distance, or at least close to it, and provide viewers with a sense of satisfaction.

Also, the manner in which the Pacquiao vs. Marquez bout was decided gave boxing plenty of publicity and gave it the clear win over UFC. While more people probably saw the UFC fight, they were likely fairly disappointed by the outcome and felt cheated.

Marquez fans may have felt cheated by the decision in favor of Pacquiao, but most boxing fans were probably rooting for a Pacquiao victory anyway. Generally speaking, controversy is almost always a good thing in sports when it comes to garnering media attention.

Pacquiao's win was most definitely controversial as many believe that Marquez was the much better fighter throughout the match. While that may be true, Pacquiao probably did enough over the second half of the fight to stake claim to victory, and he was rewarded as such.

Had either Pacquiao or Marquez won the fight decisively then it would have lent some clarity to the situation, but the fight wouldn't have gotten nearly as much attention as it has. Boxing purists may not like when a fight goes awry on the scorecards, but it is great in terms of making casual fans care.

Now, when lukewarm boxing fans hear that Pacquiao is facing either Mayweather or Marquez for a fourth time, they will immediately be interested. Say what you will about Marquez getting robbed, but it could ultimately contribute to the renaissance of the sport.