LAS VEGAS ? Juan Manuel Marquez raised his Mexican flag to the cheering crowd, and Joel Casamayor followed suit with his Cuban flag. The boxers soon waved their flags at each other like taunting matadors, shouting insults in staccato Spanish and edging toward each other before they were separated. Maybe Marquez would much rather be fighting pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in his first lightweight bout. Perhaps Casamayor should have chosen a less fearsome opponent for a defense of his linear 135-pound title.
Judging from the passion at Friday’s weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden, this imperfect matchup between two bad-tempered boxing veterans still should be something to see.
“I needed a great fight to stand up,” said Casamayor, the former gold medalist who knocked out Michael Katsidis in a rejuvenating fight last spring. “I showed everybody what I had against Katsidis, and now I’m going to show everybody that I’m still the best at 37 years old.”
But Casamayor (36-3-1, 22 KOs) is a 4-1 underdog to Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs), the Mexico City slugger who’s generally considered one of the world’s top fighters, but hasn’t been able to take the final step to superstardom by beating Pacquiao. At 34, Marquez is running out of time to get a third fight with Pacquiao, who drew with Marquez in 2004 before winning a split decision in March in one of the year’s best fights.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Mexico City | Cuban | Tijuana | Miguel Cotto | Manny Pacquiao | Marco Antonio Barrera | Diego Corrales | Erik Morales | Antonio Margarito | Joel Casamayor | MGM Grand Garden | Marquez | Michael Katsidis “I wanted us to fight Manny Pacquiao because I wasn’t happy with that decision,” Marquez said. “But I can tell you that I’m happy with this fight. I’m going to put everything into it. I’m looking forward to fighting bigger fights, and I will fight the best in any division. Joel Casamayor is one of the best 135-pounders, but I am going to prove that I can do better things in higher divisions.”
It’s fitting Marquez and Casamayor finally had to face each other, since both are considered nightmare opponents that no fighter would choose unless he had few other options.
Casamayor is a head-butting, elbow-throwing, left-handed troublemaker who has left outraged opponents in his wake for 16 years. He fought Diego Corrales in a memorable trilogy, but he never became enough of a box-office draw to force stars like Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera to take him on.
With his full beard and well-creased face, Casamayor looks even older than 37. He has no intention of retiring soon, and a victory over Marquez would put him back in discussion for the biggest fights in what’s probably the deepest division in boxing.
Not many people expect Casamayor to get it, however.
Marquez was outstanding last March against Pacquiao, and only his camp’s cries of corruption after losing the split decision tarnished his effort. When Pacquiao moved up to lightweight in June, Marquez followed him – and he claims to feel just as comfortable as Pacquiao did with the extra five pounds on his frame.
“When you prepare yourself the way I prepare myself, you don’t feel that weight,” Marquez said. “I have had exceptional training. I had the right training. I feel great.”
Marquez was on the verge of becoming Mexico’s best fighter six months ago before his loss to Pacquiao. Since then, Antonio Margarito’s dynamic stoppage of Miguel Cotto has catapulted the Tijuana native past Marquez as the most visible fighter from their boxing-mad nation – and once again, Marquez came up just short.
But Marquez isn’t giving up, and his fight with Casamayor is his first chance to catch up.
“There’s a saying: ‘If you don’t take a risk, you don’t have any challenges,”‘ Marquez said. “It’s hard for you to gain something important in life, and that’s what I’m doing here. I’m risking. I’m taking a challenge to fight the best in this division.”
The Associated Press
