Why Pacquiao still won: it's the scoring system, that's why!

Pacquiao still won because of his number of "scoring punches", his continuous aggression, and his control of the ring and tempo.

Even if the round is fairly even, judges score it 10-9 (one point lead) in favor of someone who (1) lands more punches and (2) was the aggressor who controlled the ring and the tempo of the fight.

The Compubox attests to the first, and our own eyes attest to the second.

-------

The Compubox then is the prime witness to Pacquiao's victory on points:

Pacquiao landed 176 punches, while Marquez only 138.

Pacquiao had 117 powerpuches while Marquez connected only 100 power punches.

---------
Some quotes from How Boxing Works:

If there isn't a knock out, judges will award points based on scoring punches. The boxer with the most points at the end, wins.

Who won the round is mostly based on counting "scoring punches" -- punches with the knuckle side of the fist that strike the front or sides of the opponent's body (above the belt) or head.

The judges may count punches, but they also take into consideration aggression, control of the ring, control of the tempo of the fight and damage inflicted.

-------

As for damage inflicted, Marquez's face puffed up much earlier than Pacquiao's.

-------

It should now be clear that the basis for a boxer's victory is not how many hard punches are replayed on screen.

Victory is about number of punches, aggression, and control. And Pacquiao had the upperhand in the three. Pacquiao really won, as he said. Let our celebration be true, because his victory is real.

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/boxing2.htm

This is a break from the usual commentaries on this blog.