Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, believes his boxer was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez because of a foot stomp. However, he's not blaming Marquez for stepping on Pacquiao, but instead, he's saying Pacquiao's false step led to the horrific knockout that left the the eight-time World Champion lying motionless on the floor.
So what exactly is Roach claiming?
Well, Pacquiao is a southpaw, meaning he's left-handed and Marquez, as the whole world saw with his ferocious hook, is right-handed. So when they're both in their stances, Marquez's left foot is right on top of Pacquiao's right foot, which leads to boxers stepping on each other.
Roach, who has many years in the boxing industry, noticed Marquez and Pacquiao stepping on each other during their previous fights. He had asked for the officials to keep a close eye on this.
So, apparently they didn't and though you'd expect the guy getting stepped on to have the disadvantage, instead, Marquez appeared to receive assistance as Pacquiao's false step on Marquez's foot led to the knockout.
Fast forward to about 2:38 so you can see the boxers circling each other before the heavy blow.
As Roach stated, if you take a close look, Pacquiao's foot is very close to Marquez's, unfortunately the time stamp doesn't give way to both men's feet, so it's unclear.
So how did Roach notice it?
"I didn't see it clearly until later, when I looked at overhead camera shots. Marquez didn't step on Manny's foot. Manny stepped on Marquez's foot. And when Marquez pulled it out, it sent Manny off-balance and forward - right into the perfect right hand."
And there you have it, the words from Roach himself.
Many wondered if Pacquiao would ever enter into a ring again after taking this brutal punch, but if what Roach is stated is true, then there is no reason why the boxer wouldn't feel comfortable about stepping into the ring.
Look at Marquez's face, Pacquiao would have won it eventually. Pacman had been knocked out earlier in the fight, but he the returned the favor and recovered the points. Marquez's nose was in ugly shape and if Pacquiao had kept his distance, this fourth match would have ended differently.
The one thing this loss cemented was that Pacquiao and Mayweather would never meet in the ring.
