On a memorable night at the MGM Grand Las Vegas Juan Manuel Marquez, 49-4-1, 36 KO?s, established himself as the Linear Lightweight Champion with a thrilling 11th round stoppage of the valiant Joel Casamayor, 36-4-1, 22 KO?s, and furthered his hopes for a third match with Manny Pacquiao. It was also pleasing to see two great champions expressing their mutual respect and admiration after the fight as these two gentlemen did.
Cuban veteran Casamayor deserves credit for his contribution to this contest because this was not the same man who had struggled so badly in the controversial SD win over Jose Armando Santa Cruz last year. Joel was battling throughout as the damage to Marquez? face illustrated but the Mexican just fought a very wise fight and neutralized much of Casamayor?s attacks from the 4th round on, busting the champion up badly in the 6th and lining up the stunning ending. Always competitive and compelling, Marquez just simply seemed to have a consistent edge throughout after the first two rounds.
The 11th round saw Casamayor sent to the seat of his pants on the canvas by a huge right as he backed away from Marquez? onslaught but foolishly, and bravely, he rose to walk into another barrage of punches, the last of which, another big right, sending him down and out in a worrying manner as the referee jumped forward to prevent more damage. Fortunately Joel was OK but seemed very emotional and badly shaken after the fight, requesting a rematch that he seems unlikely to receive given the conclusive nature of the result. Another limiting factor for both fighters is ?old father time? because Casamayor is two years older than Marquez who, at 35, should probably be looking for a few big pay days before getting out of the game. Juan Diaz has been mentioned as a potential first defense.
In the other high profile bout on this card, Vernon Forrest, 41-3, 29 KO?s, regained his WBC Light Middleweight Title in spirited fashion, turning back the clock to reverse his earlier loss to the ?Latin Snake? Sergio Mora, 21-1-1, 5 KO?s. Losing for the first time in his pro career, Mora really only has himself to blame for this result because I suspect he was taking the veteran?s challenge lightly and basking in the sunshine of being the only former Contender star to win a world title. Certainly, being 2 pounds overweight for the weigh-in must be indicative of something at this level. After the fight Mora seemed to allude to this when he quipped ?He?s an old guy. I should?ve won.? I do think Forrest may have had some influence on the result though.
The one thing Mora did prove last night was that he possesses a good chin because he took a pounding from Forrest and looked likely to be stopped in the later stages, especially the 8th and 9th rounds, only to show heart and grit in surviving to the final bell. When that bell tolled, it tolled for Mora as the judges? scorecards came back 117-110, 119-108 and 118-109 all in favor of the 37 year old former and new champ, the remarkable Vernon Forrest.
Also on the card, junior welterweight Victor Ortiz, 22-1-1, 17 KO?s, scored a fifth round knockout over Roberto Arrieta, 30-14-4, 13 KO?s, and featherweight Daud Yordan, 15-0, 10 KO?s, won an eight round majority decision over Antonio Meza, 24-5-1, 16 KO?s.
