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Can a Win Over Pacquiao Finally Get Marquez Respect?…GONZALEZ
Juan Manuel Marquez is a great fighter. Ask anyone who’s ever faced him and they’ll tell you the same. Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs) can box like few can.
The 38 year olds’ counter punching skills have been referred to as brilliant by more than one ringside boxing analyst. He’s won world titles in three different divisions and many believe he’s the only man with the style to defeat Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.
Yet for some reason, his native country of Mexico hasn’t quite embraced him like they have Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales or even Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The fact that Mexican fans fawn over a relative newcomer like Alvarez must be especially infuriating for Marquez. “What has he done?” Marquez reportedly said of 21 year old Alvarez when he first heard the Guadalajara based red-head was getting a world title shot. “Nothing at all, he’s not even a decent fighter.”
It’s amazing that after fifty nine fights and some mesmerizing performances against the best in the business, Marquez still finds himself defending his career.
It became obvious during one of our conversations that his questionable loss to Chris John in March of 2006 still smarts. John, an Indonesian fighter, was gifted a decision over Marquez in front of his hometown fans and important local politicians. A close look at the video showed Marquez out-boxing and out-working his opponent over twelve rounds. But he couldn‘t escape the heaps of “home cooking” that was dished out “buffet-style” in favor of John. “I clearly won the fight. Chris John didn’t win more than three rounds,” remembers Marquez.
“It was a terrible night for the sport,” said Marquez’s hall of fame trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain. “The evidence is on video. It will always be there. The truth doesn’t hide. Juan Manuel was robbed.”
“It was a huge lesson learned and a setback but my career recovered well,” Marquez said. “Now it’s time to handle this unfinished business with Pacquiao. I have to beat him decisively.”
After twenty four action filled rounds against the man sometimes referred to as “The Mexicutioner”, questions remain as to which fighter is truly superior. There are those who say Pacquiao holds the advantage after having floored Marquez a total of four times in their two fights.
But winning in boxing isn’t just about scoring knockdowns. It’s also about getting up, fighting the smarter fight and finding a way to win. After two thrilling encounters with one draw and one win for Pacquiao, only one point separated the two on the judges’ scorecards. Marquez quickly disagreed with the past punctuations. “You saw the fights? Who do you think won?” he asked. I told him I felt he won at least one of the encounters. “I won both fights especially the second one,” Marquez said. “But this time I can‘t leave any questions unanswered. No way.”
Getting superstar status in the world of boxing is rarely achieved.
Oscar De La Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali achieved it. Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO’s) has reached such stature. The once dirt-poor kid out of Manila deserves the adulation. His career is filled with wins over opponents who were supposed to be too big or too strong for him.
He destroyed them all.
Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, and Miguel Cotto just to name a few. All were physically bigger, former world champions who couldn’t deal with his speed and stinging accuracy. He’s a future hall of famer, a hero to millions and exactly the person Juan Manuel Marquez needs in his life.
For Marquez, beating the Filipino boxing icon would mean finally joining the ranks of the highest regarded warriors in the boxing rich country of Mexico. “I know Mexican fans are tough to please,“ Marquez said. “This is the fight that will take me over the top. Beating Pacquiao will finally get me the respect I deserve.”
Some Mexican fans aren’t so sure Marquez can pull off the feat. “Pacquiao is a monster at this point in his career,” said Miguel Jimenez, a casual follower of boxing from Tijuana. “He’s obliterated everyone in his path. He‘s too fast.”
It’s not an uncommon view among some fans in Mexico who probably know Pacquiao more than their own countryman. The fact that names like “Canelo” Alvarez and the son of Julio Cesar Chavez, Chavez Jr, resonates more than Juan Manuel Marquez to the average Mexican boxing fan is astounding. “I didn’t realize he won three world titles,” stated Jimenez when informed of some of Marquez‘s achievements. “If he wins it would be a great feat and it would get him a lot of respect. I still think Pacquiao will win.”
Ouch.
The significance of the bout isn‘t lost on Marquez. “This fight means everything to me. The money is great but creating a legacy is important. I want the people of Mexico to speak of me with pride,” Marquez reiterated. “It’s been a long road. I’ve been at this all my life and finally I get my chance to prove to the world that I’m one of the all time greats. I still have that need in me to win. I can’t stand losing. It feels ugly when you lose and I hate the feeling. I never want to experience it again. I‘ll make sure it doesn‘t happen on Saturday.”
Pacquiao vs. Marquez III takes place this Saturday November 12 at the M.G.M. Grand in Las Vegas. It will be available on H.B.O. Pay Per View.
Espinoza Boxing Club signs Daniel Ponce De Leon
Former WBO Junior Featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (41-4, 34 KO’s) signed on as part of Frank Espinoza’s well regarded management stable. Espinoza currently manages the career of I.B.F. Bantamweight champion Abner Mares. He’s best known for running the successful career of world titlist Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez. “I feel excited and more motivated than ever,” said Ponce De Leon. “I plan to be a world champion again and Frank’s support will be a huge advantage.”
Espinoza believes De Leon has a strong future ahead of him. “Not only is Ponce championship material, he’s an exciting fighter with punching power. He’s the kind of fighter that fans want to watch. We‘re very happy to have signed Ponce.”
Kirkland vs. Angulo re-match?
If you saw the recent war between James Kirkland and Alfredo “Perro” Angulo on HBO then you would agree it was one of the most exciting and dramatic fights of the year. After being dropped in the opening round, Kirkland rose from the canvas, regained his composure and eventually scored a thrilling stoppage over Angulo.
I say, let Angulo recuperate and regroup for a few months, he fights once more and let’s see a re-match. These are exactly the kind of fights boxing needs in order to gain more fans.
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Twitter: @fightmedia
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Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza Shine in Phoenix
PHOENIX – Saturday was a busy night on the global boxing scene, and it’s quite likely that the howling attendees in Phoenix’s Footprint Center witnessed the finest overall card of the international schedule. The many Mexican flags on display in the packed, scaled down arena signaled the event’s theme.
Co-main events featured rematches that arose from a pair of prior crowd-pleasing slugfests. Each of tonight’s headlining bouts ended at the halfway point, but that was their only similarity.
Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, now 39-2-1 (32), defended his WBO Junior Lightweight belt with a dramatic stoppage of more-than-willing Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24). The 29-year-old champion spoke of retirement wishes, but after dominating a blazing battle in which he scored three knockdowns, his only focus was relaxing during the holidays then getting back to what sounded like long-term business.
“Valdez was extremely tough in this fight,” said Navarrete. “I knew I had to push him back and I did. You are now witnessing the second phase of my career and you can expect great things from me in 2025.”
“I don’t really know about the future,” said the crestfallen, 33-year-old Valdez. “No excuses. He did what he wanted to and I couldn’t.”
Navarrete, a three-division titlist, came up one scorecard short of a fourth belt in his previous fight last May, a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk. This was Navarrete’s fourth Arizona appearance so he was cheered like a homeboy, but Valdez was definitely the crowd favorite, evident from the cheers that erupted as both fighters were shown arriving in glistening, low rider automobiles.
Both men came out throwing huge shots, but it was Navarrete who scored a flash knockdown in the first round, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. There was fierce action in every frame, with Navarrete getting the best of most of it, but even when he was in trouble Valdez roared back and brought the crowd to their feet. He got dropped again at the very end of round four, and Navarrete sent his mouthpiece into orbit the round after that.
When Navarrette drove Valdez into the ropes during round six it looked like referee Raul Caiz, Jr was about to intervene, but before he could decide, Navarrete finished matters himself with a perfect left to the ribs that crumpled Valdez into a KO at 2:42.
“He talked about getting ready to retire soon so I told him we had to fight again right now,” said Valdez prior to the rematch. There were numerous “be careful what you wish for” type predictions of doom and he entered the ring at around a two to one underdog, understanding the contest’s make or break stakes. “Boxing penalizes you if you have a lot of losses,” observed Valdez. “It’s not like other sports where you can lose and do better next season. In boxing, most people don’t want to see you again after a couple of losses.”
What Valdez might decide remains to be seen, but even in defeat he proved to be a warrior worth watching.
Co-Feature
After their epic, razor-close encounter almost exactly a year ago, it was obvious Rafael Espinoza, and fellow 30-year-old Robeisy Ramirez should meet again for the WBO featherweight title belt Espinoza earned by an upset majority decision. Espinoza turned the trick again this time around, inside the distance, but it was more anti-climactic than anything like toe-to-toe.
The 6’1” Espinoza, now 26-0 (22), was the aggressor from the opening frame, but 5’6” Ramirez, 14-3 (9) employed his short stature well to stay out of immediate danger and countered to the body for a slight edge. The Cuban challenger avoided much of their previous firefight and initially controlled the tempo. The crowd jeered him for staying away but it was an effective strategy, at least at first.
Espinoza connected much better in the fifth round and looked fresher as Ramirez’s face rapidly reddened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere in round six, Ramirez took a punch then raised a glove in surrender. Whatever the reason, even looking at Ramirez’s swollen right eye, it looked like a “No Mas” moment. Replays showed a straight right to the eye socket, but that didn’t stop the crowd from hooting their disgust after ref Chris Flores signaled the end at 0:12.
***
Richard Torrez, Jr, now 12-0 (11), displayed his Olympic silver medal pedigree in a heavyweight bout against Issac Munoz, 18-2-1 (15). Torrez, 236.6, found his punching range quickly with southpaw leads as Munoz, 252, tried to stand his ground but looked hurt by early body work that forced him into the ropes. He was gasping for breath as Torrez peppered him in the second, and Munoz went back to his corner on unsteady legs.
Munoz’s team should have thought about saving him for another day in the third as he ate big shots. Luckily, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. was wiser and had seen enough, waving it off for a TKO at 0:59.
“I don’t train for the opponent,” reflected Torrez, who isn’t far from true contender status. “Every time I train, I train for a world championship fight.”
***
Super-lightweight Lindolfo Delgado, 139.9, improved to 22-0 (16), and took another step into the world title picture against Jackson Marinez, now 22-4 (10), 139.2.
On paper this junior welterweight matchup appeared fairly even, and Marinez managed to keep it that way for almost half the scheduled ten rounds against a solid prospect but Delgado kept upping the ante until Marinez was out of chips. The assembled swarm was whistling for more action after three tentative opening frames, as Delgado loaded up but couldn’t put much offense together.
That changed in the 4th when Delgado connected with solid crosses. In the fifth, a fine combination dropped Marinez into a delayed knockdown and a wicked follow-up right to the guts finished the wobbly Marinez, who had nothing to be ashamed of, off in the arms of ref Wes Melton. Official TKO time was 2:13.
In a matter of concurrent programming, Saturday also held a lot of highly publicized college football and basketball games which likely detracted from the larger mainstream audience and media coverage this fight card deserved. That’s a shame but you can’t fault boxing, Top Rank, or any of the fighters for that because, once again, they all came through big time in Phoenix.
Photos credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins Wins IBF 140-Pound Title in Puerto Rico
A change of champions took place as Richardson Hitchins rallied from a lethargic start to wrest the IBF super lightweight title from Australia’s Liam Paro by split decision on Saturday in Puerto Rico at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.
Brooklyn has another world champion.
“I’m just happy to be a world champion,” Hitchins said.
Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) proved that his style of fighting could prevail over Paro (25-1, 15 KOs) who had previously knocked off another Puerto Rican champion, Subriel Matias.
Both fighters expected a different kind of encounter as Paro immediately started the fight with constant pressure and short, precise combinations. Hitchins had expected a different attack and seemed hesitant to pull the trigger.
“I couldn’t get my timing,” said Hitchins. “I thought he was going to put the pressure on me.”
Soon Hitchins ramped up his attack.
After Paro had jumped ahead with a constant strategic attack, Hitchins slipped into second gear behind a sharp right counter that found the target repeatedly.
Things began to swing in the Brooklyn fighter’s favor.
Those long arms came in handy for Hitchins who snapped off deadeye rights through Paro’s guard repeatedly. Soon the southpaw Aussie’s eye began to show signs of damage.
But Paro never quit.
Aside from using quick counters, Paro began firing lead lefts and the occasional right hook and uppercut. But seldom did he target the body. Slowly, the rounds began mounting in favor of the Brooklyn fighter.
Perhaps the best blow of the fight took place in the ninth round as Hitchins connected flush with a one-two combination. Though stunned, Paro trudged forward looking to immediately counter.
He mostly failed.
Still, Paro knew the rounds were not one-sided and he could close the distance. The Aussie fighter did well in the 11th and 12th round but could not land a significant blow. After 12 rounds one judge saw Paro the winner 117-11, while two others saw Hitchins the winner 116-112 for the new IBF titlist.
“He’s a hell of a boxer,” said Paro who loses the title in his first defense. “It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”
Other Bouts
A battle between Puerto Rican featherweights saw Henry Lebron (20-0) out-battle Christopher Diaz-Velez by decision after 10 action-packed rounds.
In a lightweight fight Agustin Quintana (21-2-1) gave Marc Castro (13-1) his first loss to win by split decision after 10 rounds.
Welterweight Jose Roman Vazquez (14-1) defeated Jalil Hackett (9-1) by split decision after 10 rounds.
Photo credit: Melina Pizano / Matchroom
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A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
A Six-Pack of Undercard Action from the Top Rank Card in Phoenix
Top Rank promoted a 10-fight card tonight at the NBA arena in Phoenix. The undercard included welterweight standout Giovani Santillan and a bevy of young prospects.
Based on his showing tonight, Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez is a prospect on the cusp of being a contender. A high-octane fighter with ring smarts that bely his tender age, the 22-year-old Gonzalez pitched a near 8-round shutout over Argentina’s Gerardo Antonio Perez, advancing his record to 12-0 (7). Although Gonzalez was forced to go the distance after five straight wins by stoppage, Perez, an Argentine who had never been stopped and was better than his 12-6-1 record, had a granite chin.
LA junior bantamweight Steven Navarro improved to 5-0 (4 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Gabriel Bernardi (7-2). Navarro had Bernardi, a Puerto Rican, on the canvas twice before referee Raul Caiz Jr waived it off.
In a welterweight contest slated for “10,” Giovani Santillan improved to 33-1 (18 KOs) at the expense of Fredrick Lawson who retired on his stool after only one round. It was a nice confidence-booster for Santillan who took a lot of punishment in his last fight vs. Brian Norman Jr, a fight that Santillan was expected to win. However, tonight’s win should come with an asterisk as Lawson, a Chicago-based Ghanaian, is damaged goods and ought not be permitted to fight again, notwithstanding his 30-6 record. (All six of his losses, including the last three, came inside the distance.)
In a welterweight contest slated for six rounds, 19-year-old SoCal prospect Art Berrera Jr advanced to 7-0 (5 KOs) with a second-round TKO over Juan Carlos Campos (4-2) who fights out of Sioux City, Iowa. Referee Wes Melton lost his balance as he stepped in to stop the one-sided affair with a nano-second remaining in round two and went flying into the ropes, but was seemingly unhurt.
In a major surprise, Cesar Morales, a former Mexican national amateur champion, lost his pro debut to unheralded Kevin Mosquera, a 23-year-old Ecuadorian. A flash knockdown in the opening minute of final round factored into the result. The judges had it 39-36 and 38-37 for Mosquera (3-0-1) and 38-38.
The night did not start well for Morales’ trainer Robert Garcia who had five fighters in action tonight.
In the lid-lifter, 21-year-old Las Vegas lightweight DJ Zamora, a protege of the late Roger Mayweather, improved to 15-0 (10 KOs) with a second-round stoppage of Argentine import Roman Ruben Reynoso (22-6-2). Zamora put Reynoso on the canvas in the opening round with a left to the solar plexus and knocked him down in the second round with a counter left to the chin. Reynoso made it to his feet, but had no beef when the fight was waived off. The official time was 1:56 of round two.
Bouts involving former Olympians Lindolfo Delgado and Richard Torres Jr plus two compelling world title rematches round out the 10-fight card. TSS correspondent Phil Woolever is ringside. Check back later for his post-fight reports.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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