While the November 12th Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has been generating a lot of buzz, it has been overlooked that Marquez?s younger brother Rafael will find himself in a pivotal clash in the same building one month prior. This Saturday night, Marquez will challenge WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka in a must-win fight for the 36-year old Mexico City star.
Compiling a 40-6 record with 35 knockouts during his sixteen-year career, Marquez has thrilled us time and time again while winning titles at 118 and 122 pounds in the process. He was last seen getting broken down by Juan Manuel Lopez nearly a year ago after a competitive start, perhaps a sign that Marquez?s days on the world class level are running dry.
In July Marquez shared a card with his brother Juan for the first time in five years down in Cancun but looked rather sluggish in stopping journeyman Eduardo Becerril after the sixth round. While Marquez still has the potent power that has always been his trademark, he appears a few notches slower when pulling the trigger these days.
