Boxing is an ever changing sport in which the participants progress and degrade throughout the course of their careers. Once considered the king of reflexes and overall speed, Roy Jones Jr. has shown that all fighters are indeed human.
Juan Manuel Marquez is no exception to the rule but the one aspect of his game that no one can take away is his ?craft?.
Here are the Pros and Cons of ?Dinamita?s? ability that I?ve seen throughout his years as a top-level prize fighter:
Pros
Punching Power ? Sharp is the only word to describe Marquez?s punching ability. He?s never been the type of fighter to stop his opponents with one heavy shot from either hand but he has had some rather vicious stoppages over the course of his career. He works both the head and body very well generally throwing a wide variety of punches in the process.
Footwork ? He?s the best of the three hall-of-fame Mexicans that Pacquiao has faced so far. Yes? better than Barrera and better than one of my all-time favorites in Morales. His feet are quite fast and he always finds a way to maintain balance moving either forward, sideways, or when circling his opponents. All up and coming boxers should take a look at how the Mexico City tactician utilizes proper footwork to allow himself to stay in punching position.
Offense ? Combination punching and punch variety is what defines Marquez?s offensive game. His offense is based on a solid, untelegraphed jab that?s followed by hooks to the body and straight right hands upstairs. As seen in the first Pacquiao bout, ?Dinamita? can add variety to his punches by looping them around the guard when necessary. It?s first class stuff that this super featherweight champion has shown us throughout his career.
Composure ? While Pacquiao can tend to seem rattled from time to time with questionable tactics and the overall heat of battle, Marquez has proved time and time again to remain cool through the storms within the ring. He listens very well to his very underrated trainer Nacho Beristain and is able to fight intelligently from start to finish.
Heart ? Obviously the ticker of Juan Manuel can never be questioned again after dealing with one of the most vicious and most brutal first rounds ever witnessed at the featherweight division. He somehow regrouped himself after three knockdowns at the hands of the ?Pacman? to literally fight his way back into the contest. If anyone?s heart can be defined by one bout, it?s Marquez?s.
Cons
Defense ? While Juan Manuel can look rather defensively proficient especially in his earlier career, I feel that it was based on his uncanny countering skills coupled with his superior footwork. When his opponents threw caution to the wind knowing that they?d take a few licks to land their own, they had a moderate amount of success. Against Pacquiao?s southpaw stance the Mexican definitely has problems timing and seeing that nasty left hand being launched.
Ring Entrance Music ? There?s one and only one song that Mexican warriors should enter the ring to and that is? ?El Ausente?.
Sponsorship ? Where was the GoldenPalace.com tattoos when you needed them in the first Pacquiao fight? Potential sponsors could have made a killing stamping their brand on the bottom of Marquez?s shoes in the 2004 battle as fight fans saw the bottom of those canoes several times during that hellacious round.
