I can?t think of too many fighters with as fine of a blend as raw talent, technical efficiency, and fighting spirit as lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Now into his eighteenth year as a professional, the 37-year old is still going strong, just a month removed from his thrilling battle with Michael Katsidis at the MGM Grand.
In that contest Marquez had to overcome a severe third round knockdown after absorbing a massive left hook from his Australian foe. The Mexico City legend needed all of his resilience and ring smarts just to make it out of the round but he would dig deep and began picking Katsidis apart with viscous left hooks to the body. In the ninth round a retreating Katsidis was completely out of gas as referee Kenny Bayless called a halt to the action.
It was a vintage performance, one in which Marquez showed serious doses of both strength and weakness, yet boxing insiders seemed to be split as to their thoughts on his showcase.
?I think that Marquez is showing his age and is fortunate that Katsidis is a courageous but limited fighter,? said respected author Thomas Hauser, a frequent contributor to SecondsOut.com. Hauser has often been unforgiving with his thoughts and can?t look past that nearly disastrous third stanza when assessing Marquez?s future.
Lem Satterfield is the Boxing Editor at AOL Fanhouse and has great admiration for Marquez. He shares a slightly different view than Hauser when assessing Marquez?s dissection of Katsidis, even harking back to a legend of the 70’s when thinking of the contest.
?I love the way that he regrouped and went back to his method of taking what he was given and slowly breaking down his rival,? Satterfield coined. ?Eventually, he pounced when the opportunity presented itself and he finished strong. It reminded me of the Alexis Arguello-Boom Boom Mancini fight where the older man beat the younger guy. Mancini had dedicated that title shot to his father who never got to see him win a crown; Katsidis dedicated his to his fallen brother.?
The recently-deceased Arguello was a three-division champion with crippling power and a hunter?s mindset. The Nicaraguan?s bid to win a title in a fourth weight class was upended in November of 1982 when he was stopped in the 14th round by Cincinnati?s Aaron Pryor. Satterfield can?t help but to see the similarities between Arguello and Marquez.
?Marquez, like Arguello, who is one of my all time favorites, at times, appears to be a seemingly vulnerable champion,? Satterfield continued. ?But you can tell that he brings his lunch pale to work every time. Marquez reminds me of Arguello because he is exciting and he is a technician who must give it all that he has to win and never seems to be in an easy fight.?
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At the post fight press conference following his victory over Katsidis, Marquez donned a neon green shirt with the phrase ?Marquez beat Pacquiao twice!!? emboldened on the front. Marquez would love nothing more than a third fight with Manny Pacquiao, whom he fought to a draw in May of 2004 while dropping a fiercely contested split decision almost four years later, but the Filipino star is in line to defend his WBO welterweight crown against Shane Mosley on May 7th.
That leaves Marquez with limited options moving forward. Jake Donovan, the Managing Editor at BoxingScene.com, points out that there are plenty of viable champions and contenders at 135 pounds, but for the moment the ideal candidates all seem to be tied up.
?There are plenty of challenges,? Donovan stated. ?The problem is that all are under contract with Top Rank and [Bob] Arum continues to play ‘A League of His Own’. Golden Boy has run out of worthy challenges for him, save for perhaps Robert Guerrero, which really isn’t a fight I’m in a hurry to see. I personally like Guerrero, but can think of more than a few other lightweights I’d rather Marquez face.?
On February 26th contender Brandon Rios will be vying for his first world title when he faces off with WBA champion Miguel Acosta at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. Later in the year WBC champion Humberto Soto will engage in a rematch of one of this year?s best fights when he meets Urbano Antillon on the Pacquiao-Mosley undercard.
The tentative plans are for the winners of those two bouts to face one another but even if any of those men were free, the fact that they are associated with Top Rank, which still seems to be at odds with Marquez?s promoter Golden Boy, hinders the chance of any of them meeting Marquez this year. Rios and Soto are at the top of people?s lists in regards to potential Marquez foes but they simply see to be driving in other lanes at the moment.
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There have been rumors that Marquez very well could be meeting up with living legend Erik Morales sometime in spring, either in Mexico or Las Vegas. Morales has had a career that has seen him accomplish many of the same feats as Marquez, from giving Pacquiao hell inside of the ring to winning titles in three weight classes, and while a fight between the two men may be a few years removed from it?s best date it would still make for friendly viewing given their mesh of styles.
Earlier this year Marquez was rumored as a possible opponent for WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan but he elected to remain at 135 pounds to defend his WBA and WBO titles. It seemed to be the wise move, as he would be giving up advantages in youth, size and power against the British superstar and it remains to be seen if Golden Boy will ever push for that particular contest.
While Marquez may look like a champion running out of time, things often have a way of working themselves out in the up and down world of boxing. While it?s uncertain exactly who he will be facing, what is almost for sure is what we can expect every time Marquez sets foot inside of the ring. And that is what matters most at this point in time regardless of who he faces next.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
