Juan Manuel Marquez is primed for his eagerly-awaited lightweight debut against Joel Casamayor.
Marquez will bid to take Casamayor’s Ring Magazine world title belt when the pair clash in Las Vegas on September 13.
And he’s under no illusions about the size of the task facing him in his first assignment at 135lbs.
He said: “This is a dangerous and very difficult fight for me. I will prepare very hard for this important date. Joel is a good boxer, fighter and a champion.
“This fight at 135 pounds will be difficult for me, but not impossible. I want victory for my country and my people.”
Casamayor meanwhile is coming off a thrilling title defence against hard-hitting Aussie Michael Katsidis.
And he said: “Juan Manuel is a great champion and I want to thank him for the opportunity to fight him. But, there will only be one winner on September 13 and its going to be me.”
“I respect Juan Manuel and also his trainer, Nacho Beristain, a lot, and I know it will be a great fight.”
Marquez’s move to lightweight mirrors that of his great rival Manny Pacquiao, who claimed the WBC belt at 135 with an awesome destruction of David Diaz last month.
And the ultimate target for the Mexican will be a third showdown with Pacman after a draw and an agonisingly close defeat in their first two meetings.
The Vegas showdown with Casamayor takes place on Mexican Independence Day weekend, and Golden Boy chief Oscar De La Hoya says it’s a special bout for a special date.
“September 16 is always a special weekend for Mexican fighters, fans and the public watching at home. It started with the days of Julio Cesar Chavez and then I fought seven times on this weekend during my career.”
“Now we have a great show and we expect these fighters to give us that same kind of action and excitement. There is an extra pressure to perform on this weekend but it will be memorable and historic for both guys.”
“For Juan Manuel Marquez, there is an extra pressure that you want to prove you are the best and for him being the Mexican fighter. I know he is going to come out strong and show he is tough like Chavez did, like I did when we fought on these weekends.”
“As for Joel Casamayor, his fight with Michael Katsidis is a candidate for Fight of the Year. He showed power, speed. Throughout his career people saw him boxing and now he is sitting down more, planting his feet and throwing a lot more punches and being very aggressive.”
