It was the fourth and final act in one of boxing’s most storied rivalries, and Juan Manuel Marquez made sure it ended with an exclamation point that echoed through the MGM Grand and around the world. At 2:59 of round six, Marquez landed a thunderous right hand that sent Manny Pacquiao crashing to the canvas, face-first and unconscious. The shot was so clean, referee Kenny Bayless didn’t even initiate a count. The crowd gasped, and a saga nearly a decade in the making came to a definitive, dramatic close.

Billed as the Fight of the Decade, this battle more than lived up to its name. Both fighters promised fireworks and delivered a slugfest for the ages. After three previous meetings riddled with controversy and razor-thin decisions, fans finally witnessed a conclusive ending. Marquez, often the counterpuncher in their trilogy, came in with a plan that fused precision and timing—and it paid off spectacularly.

Early rounds saw momentum swing like a pendulum. Pacquiao, quick and aggressive, rocked Marquez in the second and seemed to be dictating the pace. But Marquez struck back in the third, dropping Pacquiao with a looping right that shifted the tone of the bout. Pacquiao rebounded and answered with a knockdown of his own in the fifth, flooring Marquez with a sharp left that drew roars from the pro-Pacquiao crowd.

As the sixth round neared its end, Pacquiao, ahead 47-46 on all three official scorecards, pressed forward—perhaps a bit too confidently. Then came the counter. A perfectly-timed right cross detonated on Pacquiao’s jaw, silencing the arena. The Filipino icon fell like a felled tree, motionless on the mat.

With this emphatic victory, Marquez not only settled old scores but etched his name in history. He walked away with the WBO “Champion of the Decade” belt, a $6 million purse, and redemption that couldn’t be measured in dollars.

The fight grossed over $10 million at the gate and attracted 1.15 million pay-per-view buys, proving once again that few rivalries captivate the boxing world like Pacquiao vs. Marquez.  The fight also won the Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year.

Years of controversy. Four unforgettable fights. One decisive punch. And finally… closure.