By the time of his second attempt at a world title Juan Manuel Marquez was in a peculiar position: he was one of the most respected fighters in the sport yet had never held a major belt. He was mentioned in quite a few top 20 pound for pound lists (like Maxboxing founders Steve Kim and Doug Fischer) and was considered, along with Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins as one of the best ring technicians in the sport. Yet superstardom eluded him.
Though he was a fixture at the old Great Western Forum in Los Angeles and impressed with his devastating combination of defense and offense, he was still poorly managed and he was seen as a high risk-low reward boxer, which resulted in many of the top fighters in the sport not wanting to step into the ring with him (most notably Prince Naseem Hamed refused to fight him even though he was his WBO mandatory). However, after years of victories Marquez finally got his shot at a world title when he took on WBA Featherweight champion Freddie Norwood.. It was his chance to finally earn what many thought was his destiny, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be as Freddie Norwood won a unanimous decision in a fight that Marquez probably won. The loss was bad enough but the major problem lied in the fact that even though he was deserving of the belt he got knocked down then proceeded to give the audience a cautious and pedestrian performance in an utterly god-awful fight. In summary: Marquez not only didn’t hold a belt, but didn’t gain any fans which allowed him to be shut out from the big names around the lower weight classes. From that point he had to earn his way back to the top and went on a string of impressive victories, culminating in stopping future world champion Robbie Peden in 9 rounds to earn a shot at the vacant IBF Featherweight title against former world champion Manuel Medina. Three and a half years after laying an egg in his first title try, this was Marquez’s chance to not only win a world title and lead to bigger title fights. He not only needed to win, but show the world why he was indeed, as some were already proclaiming, one of the best pugilists in the game. And Marquez made the most out of his opportunity.
When the bell rang to begin the fight both went directly towards center ring and spent the first couple of seconds waiting the other out, yet it was Marquez who was the more aggressive of the two, starting off with firing straight right crosses and hooks to the body. Medina remained cautious in the opening stanza firing mostly a slow rangefinder jab. The problem was for all of his caution; Marquez was already beginning to solve him. He timed his occasional right cross with his head movement, and then when Medina went to the jab he would counter with his own jab followed directly behind a right cross. A minute into the fight Medina threw a jab, but Marquez immediately fired off a rocket fast left-hook-to-the-body, right-hook-to-the-body, and-a-double-left-hooks-to-the-head combination. The first punch was partially blocked but the last three landed flush and the last punch stunned Medina for a half second. Ten seconds later Marquez countered a Medina body-jab with a straight cross to the head then lead and connected with two lead left hooks to the body. With a minute left in the round Marquez’s offensive arsenal was beginning to fully emerge as he was countering to the head and the body with left hooks, right crosses, double jabs and uppercuts. The first round wasn’t even completed yet Marquez wasn’t having any problem countering and landing with his crisp combinations. The bell finally rang and gave Marquez a very easy round, and for Medina the worst was yet to come.
The second round began and nothing of note happened for the first seconds until Medina threw a right cross. Marquez blocked it then turned his knuckles to land a follow up left hook that badly stunned Medina, then followed up with a massive right cross that sent Medina falling yet he was unfortunate to still be standing and Marquez connected with a left uppercut to the head. Medina fell over like he had been hit by a baseball bat. Yet event though badly hurt, he was able to regain his senses and got up at 8. Marquez began to advance trying to end it early, while Medina for a few seconds got on his bicycle. However, Medina made a massive mistake: he decided to fight. Instead of continuing to run or at least tie up Marquez, he elected to stand at center ring. This played directly to the hands of Marquez as he was able to play target practice.
Marquez now back at center ring landed a lead left hook to the head followed by a right cross. Medina threw a jab, and again Marquez landed a left hook and a right cross then punctuated it with a left hook that slammed Medina’s head backwards. Medina then went into retreat against the ropes, but Marquez landed another right handed uppercut then a right cross. Medina was able to survive the onslaught and went back into center ring yet whenever he threw a punch, Marquez was able to counter him. And that round Marquez was seemingly landing with everything to all parts of his opponent’s body. The last minute of the round featured very little offense as Marquez, seemingly tired, going into a prevent offense while playing defense on the ropes. This allowed Medina a chance to get off on his offense, but Marquez was able to avoid most of his power shots by using his deft head movement and was still able to land some counters on his own. The second round ended with Marquez achieving a 10-8 round and assuming complete control of the fight. However, despite being totally dominant in the first two rounds of the fight, Marquez took his foot off of the gas pedal to start the third.
For the entirety of the third round it featured Marquez intentionally going into a shell while Medina becoming the aggressor. The former champion began throwing more one-twos and was showing tremendous resolve and poise after taking so much punishment in the first two rounds. But there was a major problem: his aggression wasn’t effective.
While he pressed forward and tried to get something flowing, Marquez, even in defense, was still landing the harder more devastating shots. Instead of a “second wind,” this was merely just an example on how even when he isn’t going at 100 miles an hour, Marquez was a legitimate ring artist. Then in the fourth round it was time for Marquez to get back to bringing the pain.
Medina was playing the aggressor and landed his best punch of the fight, a right cross to face of Marquez, but in the mid point of the round Marquez landed a right cross that badly wobbled Medina. Medina tried to run away but then fell straight in line with Marquez’s follow up right hook. Both men were able to get back at the center of the ring, and again Medina regained enough of his senses to continue coming forward and throwing….and continually eating Marquez’s counters. Then when fifteen seconds to go in the round Marquez landed another counter right cross and was staggered yet again, but this time Marquez was going in for the kill. He landed a three punch combination while Medina was teetering on the brink of collapse. God only knows what kept him from getting knocked down, but he was able to hold on and survive the round, but when it was over his nose was pouring blood and his eyeballs were swelling. Marquez was now fully in control and his world title was in his sights.
The next two rounds turned into a repeat performance as it was Marquez putting on an amazing performance. He was using the ring, spinning Medina around, using head movement to slip punches then firing back with those counters that always landed flush with damaging results. For people who had never seen him fight it was the proof why so many were afraid to fight him. As for Medina he was game and courageous, but he was getting the shit kicked out of him. That is how a lot of these title winning efforts seems to go for the pound-for-pounders; while the challenger is putting on an awesome show, the former champ or (other challenger for the vacant crown such as Medina) usually is forced to taken a brutal ass kicking. Medina was following that script to near perfection as he wasn’t even competitive. Round five was another clear Marquez round and round six was so one sided in favor for the soon-to-be-champ that it could have been scored a 10-8 even without a knockdown. At the end of the sixth, Medina’s right eye was totally shut and the end was near.
Round seven began with Marquez and Medina being very tentative while the exchanged punches from a distance. Then Marquez went directly into the ropes, and Medina began throwing punches for ten seconds. But then Marquez spun the former champion around with a grazing left hook, then the follow up left hook landed flush, and sent Medina down again for a second time. Medina got up and was ready to fight on, but the referee, Robert Byrd walked Medina to the ring doctor to take a look at his swollen right eye. The doctor didn’t even hesitate and called the fight over and Marquez had earned a TKO in seven rounds and laid claim to his first world title. Yet more than the world championship that he won it was the culmination of a long road for the Mexican stylist.
Nearly four years after laying an egg in the Norwood fight and three years of not getting his much deserved title shot at Prince Naseem Hamed, Marquez put forth the most dominant performance of his career when it mattered the most. Make no mistake either, while the fights with Marquez and Pacquiao were more significant, this was JMM at his most complete in terms of offense and defense. From that point on he was a legitimate star and the best was yet to come.
Epilogue:
In the summer of that same year Marquez would make his first successful defense of his world title by taking out Marcos Licona is 9 rounds. Up next was a unification match with WBA titlist Derrick Gainer in November. In what turned out to be an absolutely awful fight (all of it should be blamed on Gainer’s running and unwillingness to fight), Gainer would suffer accidental headbutt that created a massive gash over his left eye. The fight went to the judges and Marquez win the fight via Technical Decision. Then in May of 2004 he would have the definitive fight of his career against his nemesis Manny Pacquiao. Dropped three times in the first round (and I am still shocked to this day that the fight wasn’t stopped after the third knockdown), very few expected Marquez to make it to the final bell. However, he showed his fighter’s heart by coming back and dominating some rounds of the fight with his boxing ability. In my opinion he won 7 out of the last 11 rounds. When the fight went to the judges it was automatically declared a draw. After the fight his stock had never been higher and fans expected a rematch and the negotiations for the fight started immediately. But this is when his career turned for the worse.
Poor management decisions by his trainer/ manager Nacho Beranstein priced him out of the rematch with Pacquiao for two years, and while the Filipino superstar was making his march up the Pound-for-Pound ranks, Marquez was successfully defending his title on the undercard to other big name fighters (such as his near shutout of Victor Polo on the undercard of Corrales-Castillo I). Then in 2006, when discussions of a rematch between Pacquiao and Marquez got heated again, Marquez, under the advice of Berenstein, decided to balk at a reported $700,000 purse. Instead he would lead his protégé to the greatest example of boxing mismanagement by taking on his mandatory, Chris John, for a mere $30,000 dollars and in John’s home country of Indonesia. Marquez would end up losing the fight, even though most people who watched the fight believed he won the fight by a comfortable margin. However, the John loss seemed to reinvigorate he gave some of his most aggressive and exciting performances in years.
In August of that same year, Marquez would stop Terdsak Jandaeng to claim the WBO version of the Featherweight title and then ended the year by successfully defending his title with a 9th round KO of Jimrex Jaca. Then in March of ’07 Marquez would move on in weight to face countrymen and future hall-of-famer Marco Antonio Barrera for the WBC and lineal 130 pound title. Marquez put on another tough performance as he was able to garner a unanimous decision victory. He then finished the year with shutting out Rocky Juarez in November, which finally culminated with his long awaited rematch with Pacquiao. In another great fight, Marquez was able to survive being badly hurt by an early knockdown and comeback in the fight and stagger the Filipino great with counters. Yet when the cards were read Marquez lost a razor close decision that could have gone either way. Of course losing his title in such a very competitive way against one of boxing’s all-time greats didn’t affect his standings in the fans and writers pound for pound lists and he then got back on track by going up in weight and defeating Joel Casamayor for the linear Lightweight title. Then to start out this year he had the fight of the year so far in erasing a four round deficit and stopping Juan Diaz for the WBA and WBO versions of the Lightweight title.
Now as he gears up for his big money showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. next month, and even though he is past his physical peak Marquez’s stock as an attraction among boxing fans has never been higher. Most spectators of this sport will agree that he is top five pound for pound, and because of the slight slippage of his defensive prowess, his devastating offense is still in tact and he has become one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, and is set to make 3 million dollars for the aforementioned fight with Floyd Mayweather. Whether he wins the fight or loses, his place among the best fighters of his generation is secute, and this would have never come to fruition if it wasn’t for rising to the occasion in his second world title fight.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
No comments:
Post a Comment