There was little suspense in the fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Sergey Fedchenko April 14. It was a better bout than many had anticipated, and the Ukrainian did force Marquez to go the distance. Still, the unanimous decision was never in doubt, as Marquez racked up points round after round.
For the most part, Fedchenko fought to stay in the fight, not to win. He tried to stay out of range and threw little. That didn't make for a very fan-friendly fight, and gave credence to the argument that the card was hardly worth the more than forty dollars wanted for the pay-per-view. I know I wouldn't have coughed up more than the beer I brought to a friend's house.
The 118-110, 118-110, 119 -109 decision from Mexico City means Marquez won the WBO interim belt at 140 pounds. The legendary boxer obviously wanted a KO, but Fedchenko, to his credit, did not succumb. Marquez wanted an early win to help him in his quest for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao. As it turned out, he got help from another place.
Rios nearly faltered
In Las Vegas, the other fight of the pay-per-view card was between Brandon Rios and Richard Abril. If Rios would have dominated, his next bout could very well have been against Marquez. Since he did not, the chances of him meeting up with JMM diminished greatly.
Rios won a split decision that was anything but decisive. Abril was a replacement for another Cuban, Yuriorkis Gamboa. When he dropped out of the fight over a contract dispute, Abril was put on the card. He nearly beat Rios, and in the mind of many of the fans at the Mandalay Bay he did. The decision was 116 -112, 115-113, and 111-117.
Will Marquez get Pacquiao?
The results of April 14 help JMM in his endeavor to get a rematch. If Floyd Mayweather can't settle on a fight with Pacquaio, the logical choice seems to be to give Marquez his due. If it happens, such a fight would be a huge draw, and fans wouldn't mind paying to see it.
Jeff Musall has been a fan of good boxing since he watched the Thrilla in Manila as a boy with his father so many years ago.
