By Rey Danseco
 
ANOTHER Mexican rival of Manny Pacquiao was beaten, when unbeaten WBA featherweight champion Chris John scored a unanimous decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez, who was penalized for low blows, Saturday in Indonesia.

John (37-0-1, 20 KOs) showed why he is another Asian force to reckon with, after he eared the nod of the judges, 116-110, 117-111 and 116-112 in their 12-round bout at Golden Gate Arena in Tenggarong City in Borneo Island.

Marquez, who figured in split draw with Pacquiao in May 2004, was one of few Mexican stars that eyed another mega-buck bout with Pacquiao.

Sensing he was behind on points, Marquez used bully like tactic of punching the defending champion below the belt which forced referee Guilermo Perez Pineda to warn him four times before taking him away points in the 10th and 11th rounds.

The setback was the first on Marquez in the last 17 fights in six years since losing on the same verdict for his first attempt for that WBA 126-lb title against then titleholder Freddie Norwood on Sep. 11, 1999 at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.

With Marquez’s reputation being damaged and his record slipping to 44-3-1 with 33 KOs, Mexico has only one remaining Pacquiao’s potential rival, reigning WBC super featherweight champ Marco Antonio Barrera.

On Jan. 18, Pacquiao demolished former three-time champ Erik Morales with a 10th round TKO, forcing boxing experts to scratch Morales in the top 10 of the finest fighter in the world in any weight classes. Marquez, who’s No. 6 pound-for-pound of Ring Magazine, might be followed.

Marquez figured a split draw over 12 rounds with Pacquiao on May 8, 2004 after the two judges favored each of them in the scorecards and the third official, American Burt Clements, had it 113-113 draw.

Clements admitted he made a mistake of scoring the first round, where the defending IBF and WBA featherweight super champ Marquez was floored thrice. Had Clements scored the round correctly at 10-7, Pacquiao would be ahead a point in his tallies and declared the winner by split decision.

Pacquiao leads his one-time victim Barrera and Marquez in Ring Magazine’s current pound-for-pound list. Pacquiao and Barrera is No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

John, became Indonesia's third world champion when he beat Oscar Leon of Colombia in December 2003, isn’t listed in pound-for-pound. He last defended his title in April, beating American Derrick Gainer.