?Old trouble is always awake.? Laura Riding
Veteran powerpuncher Rafael Marquez looks his future?and his past?in the eye tomorrow night when he faces Puerto Rican shredder Juan Manuel Lopez over a scheduled 12 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Despite winning his last two bouts, Marquez has not looked particularly good lately. At 35, with battle after battle left in his wake, Marquez no longer resembles the destructive force of one of his peak performances: a third-round KO of Heriberto Ruiz, earned via a perfect counter right uppercut that dropped Ruiz flat on his face, in 2003. Exact as a machine in those days, Marquez, Mexico City, now looks like his gears need oiling lest smoke come pouring out of his engine. In fact, it seems odd that Marquez was catapulted, with much fanfare, into a fight with a walking firestorm like Lopez on the basis of his win over Israel Vazquez, a fighter so faded that he entered the fourth bout of their series as the underdog despite winning consecutive fights against Marquez.
Even so, Marquez has been an outstanding prizefighter for years, and if this last chance may be little more than the latest reenactment of a traditional boxing ritual?the young fighter establishing a reputation against an older one?rest assured that Marquez will do his best to turn that narrative on its head.
Long before his taxing trilogy with Vazquez, Marquez was taking punishment in hard fights against Tim Austin, Mark ?Too Sharp? Johnson, and Silence Mabuza. He has also been knocked out four times in his career. That Marquez, 39-5 (35), has overcome a weak chin to be successful speaks volumes about his skill and, most of all, his power. He has been able to turn many fights around with a single, well-placed shot. Indeed, few little men have punched as hard as Marquez has over the last decade. But even his power will be offset to an extent when he faces the bigger Juan Manuel Lopez. Lopez, 27, himself does not resemble an ironman in the ring, and the only chance Marquez has is to pick his shots carefully and hope one punch deprives Lopez, momentarily, of the living daylights.
Lopez, 29-0 (26), is the personification of GBH in the ring. His straight-up style of banging, however, leaves openings for countershots, and Marquez, whose ring I.Q. is doubled by 15 years of waging war, will be looking for opportunities to thread precise blows at a chin not always reliably tucked or guarded. Uppercuts, in particular, may be his best weapon against a fighter who often forgets his opponent might actually punch back. Oliver Lontchi got to a seemingly cavalier Lopez with rights; Rogers Mtagwa nearly decapitated him with his arcing, scythe-like swipes; and Concepcion decked him with a left hook with only a few seconds remaining in the opening round. Perhaps Lopez will show Marquez a little more respect than he has against other opponents. After all, even old trouble can be trouble anew.
Nothing less than a perfectly executed gameplan will allow Marquez to overcome a slew of disadvantages that will accompany him into the ring in Las Vegas. Not only is Lopez, Caguas, Puerto Rico, bigger, younger, and stronger, but he is also the far fresher fighter, and his southpaw stance only adds to the obstacle course. A crippling right hook to the body is perhaps his best weapon, but he also snaps off multi-punch combinations with fluidity and carries dynamite in both hands.
Marquez has the edge in experience and smarts?two advantages the grizzled always cite to taunt young whippersnappers. Whether or not this spells trouble for Lopez remains to be seen. In the end, Marquez will get his chances, but capitalizing on them is another matter altogether. Look for Lopez to start slowly, increase the tempo round by round, and trample all over wisdom on the way to a late stoppage win.
