Juan Manuel Marquez, left, stares down Manny Pacquiao after knocking him out. (Photo: Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports) 1:05AM EST December 9. 2012 - At 2:59 of the sixth round, Pacquiao is out. Marquez wins and maybe settles it once and for all. This was a stunning turn of events. Fight of the year and knockout of the year, no question. Coppinger: The end came at 2:59. Marquez got the monkey off his back with a one punch knockout. What a way to finish this saga (if it's indeed over). Round 6: Marquez bleeding from the nose and breathing through his mouth. Pacquiao seems to be zeroing in for the kill. But Marquez drops him with a right hand and knocks him out. It's over. Pacquiao seemingly out cold. Marquez wins by KO. Wow! Pacquiao walked into Marquez's right hand. Crowd going crazy!!! Round 5: Ubnbelieveable fifth round. Pacquiao drops Marquez with a vicous left. then he keeps up the pressure and looks like he's going for the knockout, and punishes Marquez through the round. Crowd goes nuts! 10-7 Pacquiao. And now Marquez is down! Wow. Overhand left clipped and made his glove touch. Marquez answers with a huge right that spun Pacquiao around. Pacquiao hurt Marquez late in the round and followed-up his attack with Marquez in retreat mode, but Marquez landed some heavy shots with his back to the ropes. Marquez is dazed and bleeding. Round 4: Pacquiao again goes on the offensive and takes the fight to Marquez, using combinations to connect against the Mexican, who exchanges. The crowd of 16,348 goes creazy as the fighters again end the round with a vicous exchange. Pacquiao 10-9. Coppinger: Marquez in control of this fight in the fourth. Pacquiao did some good work, but Marquez landed the heavier shots and closed the round nicely. I have Marquez up 38-37. Round 3: a powerful right by Marquez drops Pacquiao, who seems hurt. Pacquiao comes back with an uppercut and the two engage in a vicious exchange at the end of the round. Marquez 10-8 to tied this fight up. Wow! Coppinger: Wow! Marquez unloaded with a huge overhand right and dropped Pacquiao hard, the first time Pacquaio has been down against Marquez. This crowd is now charged. Pacquaio went sprawling back on his back. They traded to finish the round. Crowd going nuts. 10-8 Marquez and we have a fight. Round 2: Pacquiao on the attack more, Marquez countering as he is so good at. Again, the fight stays at a distance, and in the middle of the ring. Both fighters staying off the ropes. Pacquiao is lunging iun and connecting, and Marquez counter. Pacquiao 10-9. Coppinger: Pacquiao landed with a few straight lefts, then Marquez countered with a big uppercut that brushed him back. Pacquiao came back with a power overhand left. Neither fighter jabbing much. Marquez ended the round with a big shot and may have stolen the round, but I gave it to Pacquiao again on my card, up two rounds to zero. A highlight reel of Marquez's best fights playing now to the tune of "Won't Get Fooled Again". Fitting music for Marquez, who hasn't won a decision in any of his three fights against Pacquiao, though many felt he won all of them. Will Marquez be fooled again tonight? Round 1: Pacquiao comes out throwing. The crowd chants for Marquez. the fight's in the middle of the ring so far. Both fighters seem determined. Nice combination by Marquez. No clear-cut winner in that round. Both fighters feeling the other one out. I give it to Pacquiao 10-9 Coppinger: They came out of the gate fast, no feeling out for these guys who have fought each other three times and know each other so well. Marquez dug with left hooks to the body while Pacquiao was the aggressor. Pacquiao had some success, darting in-and-out. Tough round to score (aren't they always with these two?) but I edge it to Pacquaio, 10-9. The Mexican and Filipino flags are flying high in the ring. The judges: Adalaide Byrd from Vegas, John Keane from England and Steve Wesifeld from New Jersey. Let's get ready to rumble!!! says ring announcer Michael Buffer. Deafending applause when Marquez was introduced. And the Mexicans are booing loudly for Pacquiao. It's time for the main event! Pacquiao-Marquez. Three great versions of the national Anthem. The Mexican anthem was sung really loudly by the crowd, which at times drowned out the singer. The Filipino anthem was strong but the U.S. anthem by Lorena Peril was great and had the crowd into it. The Mexican fans are definitely represented tonight. They're loud and rowdy! It's over, and few in here thought it would go 12. Instead of embracing his opponent afterward, Gamboa gave him a "playful" poke on the nose. Not good sportsmanship. Gamboa "El Ciclon" wins by easy unanimous decision, and is now the WBA interim super featherweight (130 pounds) titleholder. Farenas won the battle for respect though, and was a very tough Gamboa saidafterwards he had fought for a long time and needed the rounds "I thought it was a great fight," the Cuban said. Coppinger: Both guys exhausted here in the final round. Little sustained action with neither guy pressing for a knockout in a fight where they traded knockdowns. I scored it for Gamboa, 116-109. Gamboa seems frustrated in the 12th round that he can't put Farenas away. The Filipino has two bloody and swollen eyes, yet has fought back in every round. Much respect for this guy, who nobody really knew much about, Coppinger: Another great round for Farenas, who clearly won the 10th. Gamboa has got to stop backing straight out of clinches with his hands down, a boxing no-no. Still, Farenas likely needs a knockout here in the final two round to win. Coppinger: Wow! Gamboa hurt Farenas and was going in for the finish when he ate a counter overhand left from Farenas and went down hard with his head dangling on the ropes. Gamboa got up and was badly hurt, holding on for the rest of the round. What a shot. Can Gamboa fully recover heading into round 10? Gamboa definitely has the edge in the shorts department, though you can hardly call them shorts as they come to mid-calf. But the metallic silver, red and blue with the starf on the crotch is looking good. Farenas has yellow trunks with a patch on the back that says Family Rubbling Alcohol. Gamboa was pounding Farenas in the corner in the ninth and then was suddenly dropped by a Farenas counter left. Stunning turn of events! Farenas will survive the round. In the seventh, Gamboa unloads on Farenas and puts him on the canvas. But Farenas gets up and fights back gamely. This guy has some guts. Gamboa is toying with him, though. Very surprised this fight as gone through seven. Gamboa is winning handily with that 10-8 round, but Farenas has given the fans a good fight. Coppinger: Gamboa drops Farenas with a series of devastating blows in the seventh round, forcing the Filipino's knee to touch the canvas. Gamboa tried to finish him, but Farenas withstood the punishment and was walking Gamboa down by the end of the frame. 10-8 Gamboa. In the fifth, Farenas connects with a nice right to the head, and his southpaw style might be puzzling Gamboa a bit. Farenas' corner is telling him to fight on the inside, and not let Gamboa get off his visious combinations. By the way, I would be remiss to fail to mention how unbelievable the ring girls are tonight. One word: Wow! Coppinger: Action slowed in the fifth. Farenas seems to be tiring from the accumulation of shots. Gamboa needs to step on the gas here if he wants to make a statement tonight. Gamboa hasn't done his usual damage tonight. Perhaps he hasn't carried his power up to 130? Farenas is fighting a game fight against Gamboa, but he's bleeding above both eyes and Gamboa seems to be toying with him. Yet Farenas keeps coming. There's some wrestling going on. Butr Farenas has found his range in the fourth and has connected with some good lefts to Gamboa's head. This is unexpected. Good action in the second. After being hit with a good shot, Gamboa turned the aggression on and unleashed with power shots, attacking furiously. Farenas came back with a few good hooks of his own, much to the delight of the Filipino contingent. But then he ate a right hook in the waning seconds and tasted the canvas. 10-8 Gamboa. A few boxing legends in the house: Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns, the Hitman. This is Gamboa's first fight in 15 months. Also, his first at 130 pounds since 2009. He has some of the fasted hands in the sport. Gamboa didn't look rusty in the first round, though. He fought with his hands down and landed a few nice left hooks. Fans didn't seem too interested, instead concentrating on "The Wave". Amazing entrance by 50 Cent, the hip hop star and promoter for Yuriorkis Gamboa, who fights next. Fitty dropped down into the darkened ring on wires, rapping all the way. Crowd went crazy. Gamboa is a 10-1 favorite against Farenas. Don't see this fight going very far. As expected, Gesta lost to Vazquez, who retains his IBF lightweight title, by unanimous decision. Next up is 50 Cent and his hot talent, Yuriorkis Gamboa, who will face yet another Filipino on the card, Michael Farenas. Some more celeb sightings in the house: Magic Johnson and Steven Segal. And undefeated 140-pounder Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios just sat down in front of me. And to my left is great Mexican fighter Julio Cesar Chavez, doing the Mexican broadcast for Azteca TV. Pacquiao weighed in at 151 pounds tonight and Marquez at 148. That's 4 pounds more for Manny and five more for Juan Manuel. Unless Gesta gets a knockout in the last minute, he's going to lose for the first time. We're into the 11th round of the Mercito Gesta-Miguel Vazquez IBF lightweight title fight. But the big news out of here is that Snooki's fighter lost and another big loser, Mitt Romney, is in the house, sitting ringside directly across from me with his wife Ann. Gesta must be distracted because he's not working much and is in danger of losing for the first time in his career. Coppinger says Javier Fortuna suffered an injury to his right shoulder in his fight with Patrick Hyland and is headed to the hospital for treatment. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to USA TODAY's live blog of the fourth, and hopefully, final matchup between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The buzz during fight week was that Marquez, the 39-year-old Mexican, was looking much bigger and strong in the upper body, and Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, alluded to his thought that Marquez's body was not real. But 39-year-old Marquez weighed in at 143 pounds, four under the welterweight limit, and four pounds lighter than Pacquiao. It will be interesting to see how they re-hydrate, but neither fighter walks around much heavier than their fighting weight, anyway.. The training and the talk is over. Now it's time for the final chapter of perhaps the greatest boxing rivalry of this generation: Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez on HBO pay-per-view beginning at 9 p.m. ET Saturday night. MORE: Has Pacquiao lost it? There are no titles at stake, but there doesn't need to be. This is for bragging rights. It's the fourth matchup between two future hall of famers, and the first three were about as close as could be. Pacquiao narrowly won two and the third was ruled a draw, Marquez has always believed he won all three. Not inclined to shell out the money for the pay-per-view telecast? No problem. USA TODAY Sports will bring you the round-by-round action online, along with the color and celebrity scene from what is expected to be a raucous crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Pacquiao's Filipino followers, and Marquez's Mexican fans will go head-to-head as well, and there will be no home advantage for either fighter. Go to boxing.usatoday.com at about 10 p.m. ET Saturday night and let USA TODAY Sports' Bob Velin and Mike Coppinger call the round-by-round action for you. Then read Jon Saraceno's fight story.
