Juan Manuel Marquez retained his WBO Interim Featherweight Title with tough, bloody victory over challenger, Jimrex Jaca, Saturday night on HBO?s Boxing After Dark.
The champion from Mexico City, Districto Federal, Mexico, overcome a determined effort from his opponent and a severe cut due to accidental headbutts to earn a ninth round knockout over Jaca at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
In front of a partisan Mexican crowd, Marquez came up with his second consecutive knockout since losing the WBA Belt to Chris John via controversial unanimous decision in Indonesia earlier this year.
Marquez started the fight intently, coming at his younger opponent from Cebu City, Philippines, catching him with some sharp hooks and right hands. The aggressive posture of Marquez did leave him more vulnerable to power punches from Jaca, and toward the last minute of the round, he was caught with a good straight left and right hook, but he quickly turned the tables and cornered Jaca against the ropes where he let loose with a volley of punches that some damage to the Filipino.
The pace slowed a bit in the second and third rounds, as the two men boxed a bit more, not looking to land with power punches as much. Marquez continually applied pressure, walking forward, landing sharp lead rights, hooks, as well as uppercuts with good accuracy, mainly one at a time, with a flurry to end the third.
The action picked up again midway through the fourth, as the two traded in center ring but it was Marquez who took control late in the round with crisp leads and counters.
Marquez suffered a bad cut above his right eye in the fifth round as the two leaned in to punch. It was ruled the result of an accidental clash of heads by Referee, Laurence Cole. Blood immediately came from above Marquez?s right eye, which was inspected by the ringside doctor. After the brief stoppage in the action, Marquez would come on strong as he took the fight right to Jaca.
Marquez landed some of his best punches of the fight as he squared up with Jaca in the corner, getting in hard shots with both hands. Jaca managed to get away from the corner, but relentlessly, Marquez stayed on him. With blood streaking down his face, Marquez landed a sharp right uppercut and a straight right in the latter part of the round as the crowd rose to its feet with chants of: ?Marquez, Marquez.?
Jaca, 27-3-1, 12 KO’s, took more of the lead in the sixth round, coming in trying to set up his offense with his right hand and landing some power punches. Late in the round, Marquez got his offense on track, hitting Jaca with a series of solid rights.
In the seventh, Marquez?s attack featured the uppercut, which he landed cleanly a number of times with both hands, in close and from distance. The two fighters clashed heads again in the eighth round, which led to another trip to the doctor. The fight then heated up once again, as Jaca looked to take the initiative but Marquez matched him with sharp lefts and rights, countering him expertly. Marquez got the better of Jaca as they entered into an extended series of exchanges, while blood continued to mask the face of Marquez.
During a lull in the action, Laurence Cole had him looked at again by the doctor, during which it sounded like he said to Marquez: ?Habla ingles? You?re ahead on the scorecards.? When the fight eventually resumed, Marquez boxed well to finish out the round.
In the following round, Marquez was finally able to get to his strong opponent and hurt him. He caught him coming forward late in the round with a short right hand and two left hooks?the second of which landed with full extension, that forced Jaca to the canvas.
Jaca sat on the canvas as Laurence Cole counted to ten, making no attempt to beat the referee?s count. The fight officially came to an end at the 2:48 mark of round nine.
With the victory, Marquez remains in line for a shot at the WBO Featherweight Champion, Scott Harrison, of Scotland, who will defend the title December 9th against Nicky Cook in London, England. He also keeps alive a potential rematch with super featherweight sensation, Manny Pacquiao, who he fought to a draw in 2003.
On the untelevised undercard, undefeated junior welterweight prospect, Demetrius Hopkins, 25-0-1, 10 KO’s, won a unanimous twelve round decision over Rogelio Castaneda, JR., 23-11-3, 8 KO’s, in their IBF Junior Lightweight Eliminator.
2004 Mexican Olympian, Abner Mares, 10-0, 6 KO?s, knocked out Wilmer Rodriguez, 8-1, 6 KO?s, in the fourth round, and Gilbert Vera, 6-0, 3 KO?s, won a six round unanimous decision over Carlos Velasquez, 2-4-1, 2 KO?s.
