The featherweight fight for the ages that catapulted two fighters into superstardom is 13 years old.
In boxing, few rivalries come close to Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez’s epic tetralogy.
Even fewer matchups can claim to have been as action-packed, evenly contested and relevant in the world of boxing.
Long before they became pound for pound stars with careers that grew with their weight on the scales. Their first bout was the coming together of the two finest featherweights in the world.
Pacquaio was fresh from an astounding demolition of another Mexican legend, Marco Antonio Barrera.
Juan Manuel Marquez held both the WBA and IBF featherweight championships. Regarded as a fine fighter, he had at that point been perennially avoided and lacked the star power of his compatriots Barrera and Morales.
All this would change when both fighters met at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, on May 8, 2004.
It all started with the Philipino flash coming out swinging and nearly stopping the Mexican legend. After getting off the canvas three times. Marquez the master technician took control of the fight with his accurate counter right hand the couldn’t miss Pacquaio.
But why let words do the talking when you can relive the battle yourself?
Take a trip down memory lane and relive the action from their epic first encounter by watching the highlights shown above.