Adelaide Byrd, Steve Weisfeld and John Keane (from left to right) are the ringside judges for Saturday’s Pacquiao-Marquez fight. (boxrec.com/AP)

That, after all, is how the previous three installments were decided. Pacquiao and Marquez have fought 36 rounds, with just seven points separating them on the nine scorecards. Their first meeting — a draw — would have been a split-decision win for either fighter if judge Bert Clements had scored any one round differently. Pacquiao’s split-decision win in the second fight would have gone to Marquez if he’d won just one more round on Tom Miller’s card. And Pacquiao’s controversial majority-decision victory last November would have been a majority draw if Dave Moretti had given one more round to Marquez.

I’m talking close.

What follows — a refresher course for veteran fight fans, a primer for neophytes — contains everything you need to know about the three people who will probably decide the winner of Saturday’s fight.

Who are the judges?

Adelaide Byrd from Las Vegas, Steve Weisfeld from New Jersey, and John Keane from England.

What will they be looking for?

The four scoring criteria are clean punching (power versus quantity), effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense. However, judges in Nevada have a track record of rewarding punch volume, a philosophical point laid bare when Timothy Bradley won a highly controversial decision over Manny Pacquiao in May. Bradley threw more punches than Pacquiao — that he connected with far less frequency proved inconsequential to the judges, who aren’t privy to the punch stats you see at home and at times can’t see whether a punch lands flush or not.

“The biggest misconception is you don’t score a fight as a whole, you score it round by round,” says Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “Every round is a self-contained entity. You judge the first round as if it’s the only round, and then you judge each additional round as if it’s the first round of the fight. A close fight can be scored 12 rounds to zero.”

How does one become a judge?

The Nevada commission has around 15 licensed judges. Other states have as many as 100, but Kizer prefers to maintain a smaller pool so they’re kept busy and in form. The state hosts about 40 boxing cards per year, with most judges working about three-quarters of those.

Most judges work their way up through the amateur circuit, not unlike an NFL referee that comes up through the high-school and college ranks. When there’s an opening, Kizer will meet with the commission and identify several candidates who have shown both skill and professionalism. Both Kizer and the chairman will “shadow-judge” the candidates at smaller events, not only reviewing their scores but to observe how they act. Judges from other states who move to Nevada — even decorated ones — are subject to the same scrutiny.

Since none of them do it for the money — Kizer says the top judges make about $20,000 per year — nearly all of them have day jobs or are retired. The evaluation process is constant and ongoing: “At least card by card, if not round by round,” Kizer says.

How were the judges chosen for Saturday’s fight?

Kizer tries to avoid selecting the same judges for rematches, which left him with very few choices for Saturday’s fourth installment. He uses boxrec.com — the comprehensive boxing records website — to see how certain judges from outside Nevada scored certain fights or handled given situations. This independent research includes reaching out to his counterparts from other commissions.

After he compiled a list of three to four Nevada judges, three to four American judges from outside Nevada, and three to four international judges as possibilities for Pacquiao-Marquez IV, Kizer sent the list to the promoter and the camps, giving each party a chance to voice an objection. When none were raised, Kizer made his recommendations to the five-member commission panel, which voted to accept them — Byrd, Weisfeld and Keane — at a public meeting held last month.

“Referees do need to know what to be ready for and should do their homework on the fighters,” Kizer said. “But you don’t want any anticipation or preconceived notions from a judge. It’s fighter blue corner against fighter red corner, it doesn’t matter if it’s a four-round fight or a 12-round fight.”

Is there any concern judges will be predisposed to lean towards Marquez because he lost controversially the last time?

Kizer is not concerned the judges will give Marquez the benefit of the doubt in any way — a concern articulated by Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach — standing by the professionalism of his judges and noting that Byrd, Weisfeld and Keane had no part in the previous three Pacquiao-Marquez fights. “For the promotion it’s the 37th round,” he said. “As far as the judges go, it’s the first round. They have nothing else to base it on because they’ve never done a Marquez-Pacquiao fight before.”

Has the selection process been any different for Pacquiao-Marquez IV due to the contested nature of the first three fights?

The additional scrutiny can alleviate rather than amplify the pressure, according to Kizer, because the judges know they’re going to be criticized either way. “Whenever De La Hoya lost a close fight, Bob Arum said the judges were bending over backwards to show they didn’t favor him,” he says, “and whenever De La Hoya won a close fight, the other promoter would say the judges are favoring De La Hoya because he’s the golden goose.”

– Bryan Armen Graham

Manny Pacquiao (left) and Juan Manuel Marquez (right) meet for a fourth time Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP)

SI.com’s boxing experts predict Saturday’s fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez (9 p.m. ET, HBO PPV). Share your prediction in the comments below.

CHRIS MANNIX

Prediction? Uh … The reality is the Pacquiao-Marquez is a pick ‘em fight and it will be a pick ‘em fight whether they fight today, tomorrow or 10 years from now. Pacquiao will always be an aggressive, come-forward fighter and Marquez will always be the kind of counterpuncher that eats that style up. Marquez looks great at 147 pounds, sculpted and comfortable at the higher weight. And like last fight, Marquez will likely have a strong crowd behind him. Still, boxing judges favor the aggressor and I think Pacquiao will come out trying to prove a fight. He won’t stop Marquez but he will win a close — and probably controversial — decision. Pacquiao by unanimous decision.

RICHARD O’BRIEN

The great heavyweight champion Gene Tunney lost only one fight in his career, to Harry Greb, the man known as the Pittsburgh Windmill and one of the best fighters pound-for-pound in history. The pair would meet three more times, all tough engaging and bloody contests. Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler also faced off four times, in a series that is still considered one of the highpoints of the sport. Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta met six times, in a historic series capped by Robinson’s lacerating 13th-round TKO on Feb. 14, 1951 — dubbed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and immortalized on film in Scorsese’s Raging Bull (“You never put me down, Ray!).

Yeah, who wants to see the same guys fight each other more than three times?

Uh, I do. I know that there’s every reason to bemoan the fact that Pacquiao is climbing into the ring with Marquez again and not with that guy who’s feuding with 50 Cent. Part of that is because these days boxers fight so infrequently compared to the old timers — between them, the six champions mentioned above had 1,094 bouts; two of Robinson and LaMotta’s fights were separated by just three weeks — and there’s the sense that time is running out on Pacquiao’s career. That we may never see him against Mayweather.

That’s all too possible. But another match against the redoubtable Marquez is a worthy consolation. It should be another close and even thrilling contest. Marquez knows he has to get to Pacquiao earlier and not let the Filipino build an insurmountable lead. Pacquiao knows he needs to make a statement. He doesn’t want to just squeak by again on the scorecards. That combination should lead to some early fireworks, and those could lead to an upset. Marquez has lost none of his power and Pacquiao — increasingly, it seems — can be tagged. In trying to take Marquez out, he will have to take chances, and against a counterpuncher like Marquez, he will pay a price. I expect to see both men on the canvas and both men bleeding. In the end it will go down to the scorecards once again. Marquez by majority decision.

BRYAN ARMEN GRAHAM

It’s not often these $70-a-pop blockbusters are legit coin flips but therein lies the value of Saturday’s scrap. Pacquiao and Marquez have fought 36 rounds with only seven points separating them on the scorecards. It’s not just that each cancels out the other’s strengths: these guys throw so many lightning-fast combinations that it’s hard to tell who lands flush unless someone gets hurt. Will the judges favor Marquez in the toss-up rounds as Roach fears? Will either fighter’s articulated desire to end it within the distance compromise their strategies? Does one or the other fall off an age cliff? No one can say with any certainty.

So toss a coin. Heads for Marquez, the thinker, whose shrewd counterpunching and footwork neutralizes the Filipino’s most potent weapons. Tails for Pacquiao, the aggressor, who holds the edge in power and benefits from a style that’s easier to see and easier to score, but may not get the benefit of the doubt if it goes to the judges. It’s the most reasonable forecast you’ll read all week: a 50/50 prediction for a 50/50 fight. Marquez by split decision.

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will square off once again on Dec. 8. (Stan Honda/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — Last week, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach made news when he suggested Juan Manuel Marquez, who will face Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, was using performance-enhancing substances. Roach told USA Today, “”If (his body) is natural, I will kiss his a–.”

Part of Roach’s suspicion involves Marquez’s association with Angel Hernandez, an admitted steroids peddler who has supplied performance-enhancing substances to Olympic athletes, including Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. Hernandez — then known as Angel Heredia — later became a witness for the prosecution against athletes.

On Tuesday, both Marquez and Hernandez denied using anything illegal.

“You can say anything you want, but [if] you don’t have any proof, it means nothing,” Marquez said. “I told them I am willing to take any exam they want. Let’s go together, we’ll do it together.”

“Before the last camp, there were accusations about [Pacquiao], people saying things, and we didn’t care. We never brought it up. For this fight, all of a sudden they are attacking me. I say we do [a blood test] now.”

Marquez says working with Hernandez has “changed everything.”

“I have had a 20-year career,” Marquez said. “I did it the same for 18 years. Now, I’ve changed everything.”

Read More…

Sports Illustrated staff writer Chris Mannix talks with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach talks about Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, then visits with Austin Trout, who defends his WBA super welterweight title against Miguel Cotto on Dec. 1.

Click here to listen:

Manny Pacquiao made his seventh appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday ahead of his Dec. 8 fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. The highlight was a parody of HBO’s 24/7, which profiled Pacquiao’s three scuttled fights with Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez. Look for cameos from Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, trainer Freddie Roach, ESPN personality Bernardo Osuna and longtime advisor Michael Koncz.

– SI.com staff

Gennady Golovkin (above) will defend his middleweight title against an opponent to be determined on Jan. 19 in New York at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. (AP)

Some quick jabs …

• I’m told HBO is now considering two possible opponents for Gennady Golovkin’s Jan. 19 middleweight title defense: Fernando Guerrero, a one-time prospect who is represented by Al Haymon, and Gabriel Rosado, a rising junior middleweight who is currently the IBF’s mandatory challenger for Cornelius “K9″ Bundrage’s title. To me, the decision is an easy one: Guerrero — who beat Rosado in a controversial eight-round middleweight fight in 2009 — has done nothing recently to warrant this kind of opportunity. Rosado, meanwhile, beat three quality opponents in 2012, all on NBC Sports Network, all by knockout. Rosado is the definition of a television-friendly fighter. A matchup with Golovkin would be a war.

• Super featherweight Teon Kennedy’s injury forced Main Events to find a new opponent for undefeated prospect Jerry Belmontes in the co-feature of the Dec. 8 card on NBC Sports Network. On Monday they announced that Eric Hunter (16-2) would step in. Hunter has been on the shelf for most of the last two years, fighting once (last July) since December of 2010.

• Kudos to Seth Mitchell for accomplishing a lot in boxing despite not picking up the gloves until he was 24. But this experiment is probably over. You can’t teach a chin and in his last two fights Mitchell has been buzzed by Chazz Witherspoon and knocked out in two rounds by Johnathan Banks. There are things Mitchell can do to improve — he still has no idea how to hold when he gets hurt — but if light hitters like Witherspoon and Banks can wobble him, he’s a sitting duck for one of the Klitschko brothers.

• Speaking of Banks: I’d like to see him face one more quality opponent before looking for a fight with Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko. A matchup with Tyson Fury, David Price or his preferred choice, Alexander Povetkin, next year could make Banks some money and, if he wins, give him some momentum heading into a major title fight.

• I’m looking forward to Miguel Cotto-Austin Trout on Dec. 1 at Madison Square Garden, but that undercard is horrendous. Jayson Velez and Danny Jacobs — questionable choices for a televised undercard to begin with — will fight separately on Showtime’s broadcast in fights that do nothing for me. Velez (19-0) will face Salvador Sanchez II (30-4-3), nephew of Mexican legend Salvador Sanchez, while Jacobs (23-1), the former prospect and cancer survivor who will fight for the second time in three months, gets Chris Fitzpatrick (15-2).

• I don’t know what has gotten into Carl Froch, but after another impressive knockout — this one over handpicked challenger Yusaf Mack — I just don’t know how Lucian Bute can beat him. Froch is just too strong.

• Bring on Adrien Broner-Ricky Burns.

• Thank you, Fred Sternburg, for sending out 400 emails letting everyone know that Manny Pacquiao gave away free turkeys last week. My overflowing inbox extends its regards.

• Hey British promoter Frank Maloney: Your comment that Wladimir Klitschko would be happy not to have to pay Emanuel Steward his 10 percent after a one-sided win over Mariusz Wach last week was disgusting and classless. Steward, a longtime mentor and trainer for Klitschko, lost a battle with cancer last month. Maloney should be ashamed.

– Chris Mannix

Brandon Rios (right) outlasted Mike Alvarado (left) on Saturday in a slugfest that’s been hailed as the fight of the year to date. (Harry How/Getty Images)

How impressive was Brandon Rios’ win over Mike Alvarado, Saturday’s junior welterweight bout that many pundits have preordained the fight of the year?

CHRIS MANNIX: I’ve had my doubts about Rios; the brawler style, the trouble making weight and the size Rios balloons to when he is not training have made me question whether he could rise to an elite level. But against arguably his best opponent at a heavier weight, Rios did what he has always done, wearing Alvarado down with thudding body shots and closing masterfully in the seventh round when he had Alvarado hurt. Sure, I still wonder if Rios can box — the fight was even on two judges cards and Rios held a two-point lead on the third’s before the fight was stopped — but there is simply no keeping Rios from getting inside. He is relentless.

I have little doubt that if Manny Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez in December that Top Rank will match Pacquiao with Rios. Financially, it makes sense: Rios is enough of a household name now and with the right promotion, Pacquiao-Rios could surpass 1 million pay-per-view buys. But if Pacquiao is unavailable, Rios has plenty of options. Oscar De La Hoya tweeted that he would make a Rios-Lucas Matthysse fight, which has the potential to be even more of a war than Rios-Alvarado. Rios could look for a 140-pound title (a shot at the IBF belt could be available) or simply seek out the biggest paydays. Whatever happens, Rios will be in a big fight, one worth a whole lot of money.

RICHARD O’BRIEN: I know that Bob Arum said ahead of time that the winner of Rios-Alvarado could be in line to be Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent (assuming Pacquiao gets by his old dance partner Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8), but that prospect pales compared to the promise of a rematch of last Saturday’s sensational set-to in Carson, Calif. Rios prevailed in what people are already calling, with justification, one of the best fights of the past several years. But really both boxers did themselves — and their trade — proud. And in the process, they provided fans with a rare show of skill, courage and real passion. From the explosive (a combined 190 punches) first round on there was no letup in the action, or in either fighter’s commitment, as both threw — and absorbed — hundreds of heavy, heavy shots. Two of the judges had the bout even after six rounds, while the third had Rios just ahead, yet the stoppage by referee Pat Russell was a good one. (Though had he survived the seventh, Alvarado might very well have come right back out in the eighth and thrown 147 punches — as he did in the fifth — and Rios no doubt would have been right there to meet him.) In the end, this was a great fight and one that elevated both men’s stature in the sport.

Rios is the real deal: He has great strength and power, an obviously sturdy chin, and he fights with the kind of energy and enthusiasm that makes him enormously enjoyable to watch. I’d expect him to prevail in a rematch with Alvarado and will be very eager to see where he goes from there.

BRYAN ARMEN GRAHAM: Classic fights happen, but far less often when they’re predetermined as such. The come-forward, crowd-pleasing styles of Rios and Alvarado had prompted most boxing people to earmark Saturday’s matchup as a potential fight of the year from the moment it was made. It ended up being the rare case of a hyped fight that exceeded its lofty expectations: two prime sluggers trading hell and laying the groundwork for a must-see rematch or, if we’re lucky, a trilogy.

Rios’ well-documented struggles making the lightweight limit came to a head in December when he lost his title on the scale ahead of the big December show at Madison Square Garden. The young puncher had a sickly pallor when he visited the Sports Illustrated offices about 48 hours before the weigh-in and it was apparent he’d outgrown the division. But any concerns about whether he’d bring his punch up with him to junior welterweight were spectacularly dismissed during Saturday’s breakthrough performance — a spine-tingling 23-minute war that rendered moot the stench from Rios’ dubious point victory over Cuba’s Richard Abril last year. Now Rios is a star — he debuted today at No. 14 in SI.com’s pound-for-pound ratings – and a can’t-miss showdown with Pacquiao looms if the Filipino congressman can hold serve against Marquez. That, of course, is no sure thing. Far more certain is the fact that Rios’ biggest paydays are yet to come.

HBO will air replays of the Rios-Alvarado fight on Oct. 15 (11:30 p.m. ET/PT) and Oct. 16 (11 p.m. ET/PT).

Manny Pacquiao fans may want to circle April 20 on next year’s calendar.

That’s the date Bob Arum has booked for Pacquiao’s next fight provided he gets past Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8, when the longtime rivals meet for a fourth time.

“I have talked with Manny and we agreed to hold his fight on April 20,” Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, told the Manila Bulletin on Wednesday.

In August, Arum mentioned April 2013 as a potential target date for Pacquiao’s long-awaited showdown with Floyd Mayweather.

– SI.com staff

Gennady Golovkin (above), one of the most intriguing and buzzed-about names in the middleweight division, will likely return to action on Dec. 8 in Europe. (AP)

Some quick jabs …

• I have to admit, I was bitterly disappointed when Golden Boy, on behalf of undefeated heavyweight and former Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder, turned down an offer to fight rising heavyweight prospect Bryant Jennings last week. In case you missed it, Wilder and Jennings have been in a Twitter beef, during which Wilder called Jennings out. Jennings’ promoter, Main Events, responded by offering Wilder the slot opposite Jennings on its next NBC Sports Network show on Dec. 8. Yet Wilder’s team quickly shot it down, saying the money (likely around $25,000, though there was room for negotiation) wasn’t enough for that kind of fight.

Now, I understand that a year from now, Wilder-Jennings could be a pretty big fight. But that’s only if both continue their respective ascents. The fact is, neither Wilder or Jennings has fought anyone notable and there is a strong possibility one or both will get beating which would take much of the shine off of a matchup (see: the vaporized Juan Manuel Lopez-Yuri Gamboa megafight). The winner of a showdown in December would take a big step in the heavyweight division, probably vaulting himself up in the rankings and certainly becoming more attractive to the higher-paying premium networks. Unfortunately, Wilder, who frankly has accomplished nothing in his four-year professional career, sees it a little different.

• Here’s why Wladimir Klitschko may never fight in the U.S. again: More than 16,000 tickets have already been sold for Klitschko’s title defense against Marisuz Wach in November in Hamburg, Germany.

• Speaking of hot tickets, Top Rank reports that 13,000 seats have already been sold for Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV in December. It seems despite the lukewarm response the fight received from pundits, there is still a strong interest from fans to see these two future Hall of Famers in the ring.

• Looks like Gennady Golovkin will return to the ring on Dec. 8, when he will defend his WBA middleweight title somewhere in Europe. Golovkin hoped to land an HBO date, but the network is booked solid in December and Golovkin is determined to fight before the end of the year. Main Events lobbied Golovkin hard to fight on either its Dec. 8 or Dec. 22 shows. However Golovkin’s promoter, Tom Loeffler, believes he can get a better deal fighting in Europe.

• There is some debate over when Wladimir Klitschko owes a mandatory defense of his WBA title. Sauerland Event, which represents WBA “regular” titleholder Alexander Povetkin, claims Klitschko must face Povetkin by the end of February. Klitschko’s manager, Bernd Boente, says the fight isn’t due until next July. My opinion: Who cares? Klitschko has chased Povetkin for years and, after Wach, doesn’t have any viable opponents on the horizon. Cut a deal — March sounds pretty good — and make the fight.

• Sign me up for more Kubrat Pulev. Pulev’s 11th-round knockout of 6-foot-7 Alexander Ustinov on Epix last weekend — which followed a knockout of 6-foot-7 heavyweight prospect Alexander Dimitrenko before that — has established the Bulgarian as a legitimate heavyweight contender. Pulev will likely face the winner of Tomasz Adamek-Odlanier Solis in December, with a win positioning him as the IBF’s No. 1 contender for Wladimir Klitschko’s title.

• Let me join the chorus of those who think Don King’s $1.1 million purse bid for Chris Arreola-Bermane Stiverne is nuts. Neither Arreola or Stiverne has done much of anything lately, certainly not enough to warrant that type of payday. There is a good chance Arreola-Stiverne on HBO or Showtime but there is no way King is going to get his money back in the license fee. It’s simply not that significant a fight.

– Chris Mannix

Manny Pacquiao smiles alongside wife Jinkee after the husband and wife filed their respective Certificates of Candidacy for next year’s midterm elections. (AP)

Watch out, Bill and Hillary: Jinkee Pacquiao is joining her husband in the political arena.

The 33-year-old wife of Manny Pacquiao, an eight-division boxing champion and Filipino congressman, announced her intent to run for vice governor in Sarangani province, the Philippine Star reported Tuesday.

The announcement came as a surprise, considering she’d never previously expressed interest in running for public office. But Jinkee told several Filipino media outlets Tuesday that her goal was to assist her husband’s public service projects.

Jinkee will be campaigning alongside incumbent Saragani vice governor Steve Chiongbian Solon, who is now running for a gubernatorial post.

The election will be held on May 13, 2013.

Both husband and wife filed their certificates of candidacy Tuesday at the provincial capitol. The formality marked Manny’s last official political duty before opening an eight-week training camp for his Dec. 8 fight with Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

– Bryan Armen Graham