When it was announced that Juan Manuel Marquez would be facing off with Juan Diaz for a second time the public opinion seemed to vary. Nobody could deny the relevance of the first fight, which was declared 2009?s Fight of the Year in which Marquez stopped Diaz in the ninth, and pitting the two men against each other yet again doesn?t figure to make for a boring night. But both fighters are coming off of humbling losses and the fact that the contest is being featured as a Pay per view attraction adds to the confusion.
To Golden Boy Promotions? credit, they have laid down the groundwork for an entertaining and meaningful undercard. Featuring a bout between former champions Joel Casamayor and Robert Guerrero, a Super Middleweight title contest with undefeated hopefuls Danny Jacobs and Dmitry Pirog, and an interesting clash with rugged Rocky Juarez and ultra-talented yet slightly suspect Jorge Linares, the fans in attendance at the Mandalay Bay will likely come away satisfied.
The Guerrero-Casamayor clash is interesting because while Guerrero is fighting to get himself back in the spotlight, Casamayor is fighting for his career, period. The hardened Cuban southpaw has engaged in memorable battles against the likes of Acelino Freitas, Diego Corrales, and Jose Luis Castillo but he has seemed to see his best days pass him by and could be in trouble with the potent, non-stop attack of his 27-year old Gilroy, California foe. Putting the clash into perspective, Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya isn?t so quick to right Joel off.
?Yes, he is 38 years of age, but 38 years young,? De La Hoya states of Casamayor. ?Joel Casamayor keeps on proving to us that he still has another fight left in him, so this fight in my eyes is evenly matched because it?s the experience and youth that both fighters bring to the table. It equals itself out with experience, youth, power, strength, speed, and intelligence. You have that bundled into one fight that night.?
Linares? coming out party seemed to be at the same venue in July of 2007 against very capable veteran Oscar Larios. Over the duration of the fight Linares would pick apart his older foe and controlled the contest with a beautiful efficiency that spoke of his class as a fighter. Linares would stop Larios in the 10th to capture the vacant WBC featherweight title and at 21 years of age he seemed to be a star in the making.
Three victories would follow but Linares was shocked in October of 2009 in Tokyo, Japan when he was caught and decked with a viscous right hand and stopped moments later by Mexico City’s Juan Carlos Salgado. After being away from the spotlight it is now time for Linares to try to make a serious push towards getting his way back to where he once was and a clash with hard-luck Juarez should give us some answers on where he stands. Looking at the matchup De La Hoya speaks with brutal honesty.
?Now, the reason why this is a very special and interesting fight is because this is a fight where both fighters know they have to win or else their career might end,” Oscar claims. “You have Linares, who is coming off of a good win after suffering his first knockout loss. He obviously has all the talent in the world. He was viewed upon by many writers as the up-and-coming next champion, young emerging star. And you have him facing a young veteran who never gives up in Rocky Juarez.?
Perhaps the bout with the most question marks will be the Jacobs-Pirog showdown. The Brookyln born Jacobs has shown great promise in his young career but at the same time it is hard to shake the thought of him struggling and getting tagged by former Welterweight contender Ishe Smith last August. The Russian born Pirog is a man who is somewhat of an enigma to the American public yet he sports a 16-0 record with 13 knockouts and could prove to be a serious test for the 23-year old Jacobs.
?Pirog will be making a title defense against the young, emerging lion in Daniel Jacobs and I?m truly excited because as we all know that styles make fights and Daniel Jacobs has a tremendous style,” De La Hoya gushed. “He can pick it up whenever he wants. He has the power to knock you out. He has the speed, obviously, he has the intelligence. But Dmitry is a fighter who before we made this fight I studied him left and right. He?s a fighter who keeps coming forward, but is very, very smart. He has your typical European come forward type of attitude, but he?s very, very smart in boxing and I think this fight has fight of the year written all over it.?
For his part Schaefer noted that it was important to put together a card from top to bottom that will appeal to the fans. An interesting side note to the main event is the fact that WBA Jr. Welterweight champion Amir Khan could likely find himself in the ring with the winner of the Marquez-Diaz bout later in the year. When asked for his take on the situation Schaefer reveals that he would relish a Khan meeting but realizes that the Britain fighter has many avenues he could take.
?I just came back from London a couple weeks ago and I know that this is the fight Amir would be interested in as well. But Amir made it clear to me, and I have to admit, so did Freddie, that this is not the only option. Other options would be a Maidana or Katsidis, so I think the good thing is in these weight classes you have so much depth that you can pretty much mix or match. I would love to see a Maidana vs. Amir Khan fight, no problem whatsoever, and then the winner of Marquez and Diaz fighting Katsidis, there?s nothing wrong with that either. And yes, Amir Khan will be at the fight July 31st and will be, of course, very closely watching on what is going to happen.?
