Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said that the victory of Juan Manuel Marquez last December 8, 2012, was due to Pacquiao stepping on Marquez which sent him off-balance.

In an interview with the LA Times, Roach explained that fighters' stepping on each other's foot was common in boxing, particularly when facing a skilled boxer with a southpaw stance. After Roach analyzed the fight from various angles in the attacks, he realized that this problem is what had given Marquez the victory.

Roach said that before Pacquiao got knocked out, the Filipino boxer stepped on Marquez's foot which caused him to go off-balance and put Pacquiao in a perfect position into Marquez's fist that left him unconscious for almost two minutes.

"I didn't see that coming" Roach said.

The knockout that Pacquiao suffered in this fight led to a four-month medical suspension. Originally it was thought that this K.O. could of have caused some brain damage to Pacquio, but other medical examinations that Pacquiao has undergone to date have shown otherwise. It is expected that the Filipino hero will return to the ring in April.

In regards to a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez, the promoters of both fighters had said the that the next fight could be sometime in September 2013, but after these statements were made by the promoters, the Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez said he was not interested in returning to the ring to fight Manny Pacquiao.

VIDEO: Knockout of Manny Pacquiao

Brenda.Colon@sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@sandiegored.com