Maybe an old dog can learn new tricks. That?s exactly what Juan Manuel Marquez did, and he?s fast-approaching 37 years old.
His age was hardly in evidence when he squared off with Juan ?Baby Bull? Diaz, a much younger man at 26. In a rematch of their epic battle in Texas, Marquez was all business last Saturday evening at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, as 8,383 fans looked on.
In slow and methodical fashion, the Mexican legend retained The Ring Magazine World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization lightweight titles with a unanimous decision, and in the process may have set in motion a third fight with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
Beginning in the first round, and stretching across the remainder of the 12-round battle, Marquez, who improved to 51-5-1 with 37 knockouts, had every statistical punching number in his favor.
The only round in which the challenger Diaz was able to muster any sort of offense was the 10th, and to a lesser extent the last two rounds. The effort was a little too late for the Houston, Texas native, who has a college degree, and hopes to attend law school.
For these two points, Diaz (35-4-0 with 17 KO?s) should be applauded. The fight was something different altogether. Diaz was disappointed with the result, but gracious. ?Tonight was not my night,? he said. ?This time around I had a different strategy. He (Marquez) came well prepared.?
Diaz added: ?I hope I gave the fans a great fight. I thought I was going to win. But that?s life.?
In their initial contest at the Toyota Center in February 2009, one in which Diaz, who landed only 30 percent of his power punches compared to 48 percent for Marquez, came out for blood from the opening bell, but faltered in the latter rounds, especially the ninth.
It was at this point that Diaz was getting tired, and Marquez found an opening and floored Diaz, who on Saturday hit on 24 percent of his jabs and 27 percent of his overall tosses.
In the rematch, Diaz approached the fight with extreme caution. He was going to take his time and counter-punch, something that has been a Marquez hallmark.
?He feels great about the fight,? said Marquez through Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, and who acted as a translator. ?He came with a different game strategy. In his first fight, Diaz came forward and pressed the fight.?
Looking back, Diaz should have kept the same intensity, but opted to let Marquez dictate the pace. Not smart. Might this have been Diaz?s swan song? ?I?m going to have to see,? he said. ?I?m not going to say this is my last fight or that I?m going to fight again.?
The first two rounds belonged to Marquez, and in the third round he really took control, especially late. Marquez wasn?t through, connecting multiple times in the fourth round, followed by a terrific two-punch combination in the fifth round.
The action spilled over into the next round ? and was one Marquez, who finished by hitting on 43 percent of his total punches and 37 percent of his jabs ? landed a smashing right-left attack toward the latter portion of the three-minute test.
In the seventh, Marquez was at it again, this time going to the head, and dropping well-placed body shots. The next round was close, with a slight edge to the champion, but the ninth was all Marquez, who came out looking for the knockout, which didn?t come.
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