Juan Manuel Marquez may have been considered the odd man out in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes before last weekend. But after a blistering ninth-round knockout of tough Australian Michael Katsidis, “Dinamita” has officially established himself as the pest Pac-Man can’t get rid of.
Marquez, who drew with Pacquiao in 2004 and lost a spirited split decision to him in 2008, was brilliant again — ripping Katsidis with beautiful combinations to the head and body. At age 37, the native of Mexico City is a pugilistic marvel who seems to improve with every outing. The fact that he got dropped by a mean Katsidis left hook only makes him more appealing as a Pacquiao opponent.
He is vulnerable, he can be hurt. Yet he always comes back to save the day with guts and skill. Everyone wants Floyd Mayweather. But it’s Marquez who deserves a Pacquiao fight, and it’s a Pacquiao-Marquez fight that would be riveting.
Pacquiao-Mayweather would be a comparative bore.
Twice previously it appeared Pacquiao had escaped Marquez. After their first fight, Marquez lost to unheralded Chris John and appeared out as a serious opponent. Then he came back and beat Marco Antonio Barrera to earn a rematch.
Then, after losing the rematch, Marquez beat Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz twice and now Katsidis — clawing his way back to Pacquiao’s front doorstep. Even a loss to the bigger, faster Mayweather has done little to stop Marquez’s momentum.
Other opponents are being considered for Pacquiao’s next Advertisement
fight: Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Andre Berto. Cotto was destroyed the first time, Mosley is ready for the rocking chair, and Berto is completely unproven.
Marquez is the only one that makes sense. And Pacquiao knows it.
The proud Filipino will end up fighting Marquez. That’s just the kind of fighter he is. And boxing will be the beneficiary.
Meanwhile …
It was great to see an unheralded Minnesota junior lightweight Jason Litzau upset the overrated, undertrained Celestino Caballero on the Marquez-Katsidis undercard. Caballero assumed Litzau was a soft touch who would lay down the first time he looked at him funny.
Surprise!
Litzau, who seemed to improve in chin-strength with the move from 126 to 130 pounds, hung in there and took it to the flabby Caballero, the former junior featherweight champ from Panama who looked disinterested and unmotivated.
Some even thought Caballero was a pound-for-pound guy. Yeah right.
Litzau has good talent and now is armed with some confidence. Maybe he can make some noise in the 130-pound ranks.
This weekend
With Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. off the “In Harm’s Way” Top Rank card in Anaheim, junior bantamweight Nonito Donaire — who definitely is a pound-for-pound guy — becomes the headliner (7 p.m. today, pay-per-view).
Donaire, from the boxing-mad Philippines, 24-1 (16 knockouts), takes on Ukrainian Volodymyr Sydorenko, 22-2-2 (7 KOs). If victorious, Donaire will fight Mexico’s Fernando Montiel on Feb. 19 in a huge bantamweight showdown.
Also, Mexicans Humberto Soto, 53-7-2 (32 KOs) and Urbano Antillion, 28-1 (20 KOs) battle for the WBC lightweight title.
Go with Donaire over Sydorenko by unanimous decision and Soto via 10th-round knockout in a good scrap.
Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected].
