Valero’s manager justifies Manny’s win

Valero’s manager justifies Manny’s win By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Thu, 17 Nov 2011 Jose Castillo. LOS ANGELES. The late WBA superfeatherweight and WBC lightweight champion Edwin Valero’s manager Jose Castillo said yesterday even as Juan Manuel Marquez is his countryman, Manny Pacquiao deserved to win over the Mexican challenger in a close contest at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last weekend. Castillo, 44, has been involved in boxing for over 10 years and represented Marco Antonio Barrera in negotiating a fight against Pacquiao in San Antonio in 2003. Pacquiao was paid $750,000 for the bout. Castillo said he still has a copy of the fight contract with Pacquiao’s signature. He was Valero’s manager in the Venezuelan’s last four outings before allegedly committing suicide in a jail cell in 2010. “If you watch the fight closely round by round, you’ll notice that Manny pressed the action from the beginning,” said Castillo who lives in Orange County and works for a Mexican company supplying educational and health equipment to the government. “In a close fight, judges will always give the fighter who’s pressing and more aggressive the edge. The challenger (Marquez) had to do a lot more to win than land a few good shots. Besides, the computer stats showed clearly that Manny threw and landed more punches. All you have to do is to look at the numbers to justify the win.” Pacquiao beat Marquez in their third encounter by a majority 12-round decision. Castillo, however, noted that the Filipino wasn’t his usual self. “I think he left it in the gym, as the boxing saying goes,” continued Castillo, a civil engineering graduate of the University of California at Irvine, the same school that produced Alaska cager Tony de la Cruz. “Manny looked over-trained. It seemed like he didn’t conserve his energy for the fight. I didn’t see his usual explosiveness. Every boxer knows when there’s something wrong with his body and Manny probably felt it. His body couldn’t react. He didn’t take chances like before. He was cautious, like he was afraid to get hit. In previous fights, he would charge in, take some shots and give back.” It’s a tribute to Pacquiao that although he wasn’t as dominant as in the past, he stayed busy enough to win on points. “Marquez is a great fighter and his style gives Manny problems,” he said. “Marquez learned from the (Floyd) Mayweather loss in 2009 when he went up to 142 pounds and couldn’t carry the weight. He came well-prepared for the fight of his life. He knew what he had to do, what he wouldn’t do. I’m not surprised the fight was close.” Castillo said if ever there is a fourth fight, the ending will be as inconclusive. “It’ll be another tough fight for sure,” he said. “Knowing Manny, he’ll bounce back to do a lot more than he showed last Saturday. He wasn’t happy with himself, how he performed against Marquez. You saw it in his face, his expression. So if they fight again, you’ll see a more determined Manny. But it’ll still be close.”