JUAN Manuel Marquez retained his WBC super featherweight title and is now eyeing the biggest fish in the division?Filipino boxing dynamo Manny Pacquiao.
Marquez defeated Rocky Juarez, who fought and lost to Marco Antonio Barrera twice, by unanimous decision after using his right hand to score impressive shots to the head in the later rounds.
Marquez, who survived three knockdowns in the first round to salvage a draw with Pacquiao, improved to 48-3-1, while Juarez fell to 27-4.
?I want to fight Pacquiao. I hope he wants to fight me,? Marquez told Azcentral.com after his victory.
Juarez suffered a cut just above the left eye in an accidental head-butt in the first round that started some slow bleeding.
The two fought evenly for the first three rounds, although Marquez was more the aggressor. But by the fifth round, blood continued to be more of a problem, with Juarez blinking and getting distracted.
Logical fight
In the 11th, Marquez used the right hand more effectively, snapping Juarez?s head back on two occasions. One sent Juarez back into the ropes.
In the 12th, Marquez kept Juarez from getting close, while using the right hand to dominate the fight at the Desert Diamond Casino.
On the other hand, Oscar dela Hoya, who also co-promotes Pacquiao agree with his ward and also wants to see Pacquiao-Marquez II.
?Marquez-Pacquiao is the logical fight. It is the fight that has to be made,? dela Hoya told Azcentral.com.
More than 50 percent of 13, 264 voters in Mannypacquiao.ph also agree with Marquez and dela Hoya?s consensus.
In an online poll, 54.3 percent chose the Mexican champion as their preferred opponent among five boxers in Pacquiao?s next bout.
Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero was a distant second at 19.3, with Juan Diaz at third with 16.3.
Meanwhile, Marquez may have impressed the judges at ring side in retaining his crown, his victory didn?t impress his prospective foe?Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, who watched the fight in General Santos, told Philboxing.com that Marquez was slow and had no real power and noted that the Mexican couldn?t take Juarez ?despite catching him with some good right hands in the later rounds.?
?I can take him (Marquez) easily,? Pacquiao told Philboxing.com.
