Boxing is human drama at its best.
The sanctioned violence that is the sweet science is a beautiful art form and Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez displayed their true mastery over six savage rounds on Saturday night. In a rematch of their initial outing in March of this year, the duo of fistic artisans put their wares on display in front of a rabid Hidalgo, Texas crowd and millions of Showtime viewers at home.
Both men gave pain and took pain in a heated contest, but in the end Vazquez reigned supreme. Having hurt Marquez with several left hooks over the course of the battle and finally knocking him down in the sixth, Vazquez walked away the victor after the referee mercifully stopped the fight.
Vazquez regained the legitimate super bantamweight championship that he had previously lost to Marquez and before the blood from cuts on both of his eyes could be stopped from streaming, fans all over the globe were already calling for a third installment to their rivalry.
Jason Jackson, a fellow Boxing Confidential writer, who was viewing the evenings action at Casa Lois started counting on his fingers and proclaimed, “We can look forward for a rematch in January.”
While I, like every other true fan of boxing, want to see these men lock their Mexican horns again in a third episode, let us give the pair a long rest. Their fight in March left Israel with a severely injured nose that was operated on and not exposed to punching with out a safe guard until Saturday night.
Take a look at the battle tested bodies of Marquez and Vazquez after last night, both of them had scars, cuts and bruises. Asking a human being to endure another encounter like the prior two Vazquez and Marquez have endured in such a short time span is inhumane. If you want to see three fights in under a year’s time, join Michael Vick in the line to hell.
Vazquez deserves the opportunity to enjoy the tremendous victory, which seemed fueled by grit and a huge urge to prove he was as good, if not better than the highly thought of Marquez. As for Rafael, let him lick his wounded ego and enjoy a new born child which is days away.
Be it four months, six months, or a year, no need to rush these masters because when the enter the rings and grind it out on the blue canvas, another master piece will be created.
