Marquez cements top status
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Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 02, 2009 00:00
HOUSTON - Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez unifies all three lightweight belts after beating his American opponent Juan Diaz via a knockout in the ninth round of their bout.
Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico stamped himself as the world's top lightweight with a ninth-round knockout of American Juan Diaz in a thrilling title unification fight at the Toyota Center.
Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) won the vacant WBA and WBO lightweight belts, plus Diaz's minor IBO title, finishing off the Houston native with a right uppercut at 2:40 of the ninth round Saturday. The 35-year-old Marquez, a former featherweight and super-featherweight champion, was fighting as a lightweight for only the second time in his 15-year professional career.
Diaz (34-2) called the fight the most important of his life, but lost for the second time in three fights. His other defeat was to Nate Campbell, whose WBA and WBO titles were stripped after he failed to make weight for his own defense two weeks ago.
Two knockdowns
Marquez opened a cut over Diaz's eye in the eighth round, then knocked him down twice in the ninth. He landed a hard right in the middle of the ring, the first of a four-punch combination that dropped the 25-year-old in his tracks.
Referee Rafael Ramos allowed the fight to continue, and Marquez moved in and connected with another right uppercut. When Diaz went down, Marquez ran to his corner and hopped onto the ropes, exhorting the thousands of Mexican fans in attendance.
"I was ready to leave my heart and my soul in that ring," Marquez said. "It was a great victory for me. It is one of the most important victories of my career."
Moments after his win, Marquez boastfully called out Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was considered the pound-for-pound king when he retired last summer.
"Who wouldn't want to see that fight?" Marquez said through an interpreter. "I'll fight him at 140 (pounds), maybe a little above that. I want to fight the best, the very best."
Marquez has been trying for months to land one more fight with Filipino Manny Pacquiao, who will face Ricky Hatton on May 2. Marquez fought Pacquiao to a draw in May 2004, then lost a close decision in the rematch last March.
But Marquez says he's given up on Pacquiao, and now wants to focus on luring Mayweather out of retirement.
"I've been trying to get a third fight with Manny Pacquiao, but he doesn't want to fight me," Marquez said. "So I'm calling out the best, and that's Floyd Mayweather." Marquez and Diaz both fight for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. De La Hoya backed Marquez's challenge, and believes Mayweather will fight again.
"Marquez wants to go for the best," De La Hoya said. "That's the fight he wants. We feel that, with Marquez, he is always going for that pound-for-pound title. If Mayweather comes back, then he would be fighting the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Mayweather."
Reversal of early rounds
Diaz won the early rounds Saturday, repeatedly backing Marquez into the ropes before hammering him with quick combinations. He snapped back Marquez's head with a hard left in the third, but Marquez fought out of the corner and connected with a right uppercut in the middle of the ring. Diaz continued to force Marquez into the ropes and the Mexican fighter was constantly trying to punch out of trouble.
Marquez turned the momentum when he cut Diaz, a similar situation to Diaz's bout against Campbell, when a cut seemed to change the entire fight.
Diaz acknowledged that the cut bothered him.
"I got caught with a good punch. There was nothing I could do," he said. "I couldn't see out of my right eye."
Headlining the undercard, Chris John retained his WBA featherweight title by battling hometown hero Rocky Juarez to an entertaining draw.
Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) won the vacant WBA and WBO lightweight belts, plus Diaz's minor IBO title, finishing off the Houston native with a right uppercut at 2:40 of the ninth round Saturday. The 35-year-old Marquez, a former featherweight and super-featherweight champion, was fighting as a lightweight for only the second time in his 15-year professional career.
Diaz (34-2) called the fight the most important of his life, but lost for the second time in three fights. His other defeat was to Nate Campbell, whose WBA and WBO titles were stripped after he failed to make weight for his own defense two weeks ago.
Two knockdowns
Marquez opened a cut over Diaz's eye in the eighth round, then knocked him down twice in the ninth. He landed a hard right in the middle of the ring, the first of a four-punch combination that dropped the 25-year-old in his tracks.
Referee Rafael Ramos allowed the fight to continue, and Marquez moved in and connected with another right uppercut. When Diaz went down, Marquez ran to his corner and hopped onto the ropes, exhorting the thousands of Mexican fans in attendance.
"I was ready to leave my heart and my soul in that ring," Marquez said. "It was a great victory for me. It is one of the most important victories of my career."
Moments after his win, Marquez boastfully called out Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was considered the pound-for-pound king when he retired last summer.
"Who wouldn't want to see that fight?" Marquez said through an interpreter. "I'll fight him at 140 (pounds), maybe a little above that. I want to fight the best, the very best."
Marquez has been trying for months to land one more fight with Filipino Manny Pacquiao, who will face Ricky Hatton on May 2. Marquez fought Pacquiao to a draw in May 2004, then lost a close decision in the rematch last March.
But Marquez says he's given up on Pacquiao, and now wants to focus on luring Mayweather out of retirement.
"I've been trying to get a third fight with Manny Pacquiao, but he doesn't want to fight me," Marquez said. "So I'm calling out the best, and that's Floyd Mayweather." Marquez and Diaz both fight for Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. De La Hoya backed Marquez's challenge, and believes Mayweather will fight again.
"Marquez wants to go for the best," De La Hoya said. "That's the fight he wants. We feel that, with Marquez, he is always going for that pound-for-pound title. If Mayweather comes back, then he would be fighting the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Mayweather."
Reversal of early rounds
Diaz won the early rounds Saturday, repeatedly backing Marquez into the ropes before hammering him with quick combinations. He snapped back Marquez's head with a hard left in the third, but Marquez fought out of the corner and connected with a right uppercut in the middle of the ring. Diaz continued to force Marquez into the ropes and the Mexican fighter was constantly trying to punch out of trouble.
Marquez turned the momentum when he cut Diaz, a similar situation to Diaz's bout against Campbell, when a cut seemed to change the entire fight.
Diaz acknowledged that the cut bothered him.
"I got caught with a good punch. There was nothing I could do," he said. "I couldn't see out of my right eye."
Headlining the undercard, Chris John retained his WBA featherweight title by battling hometown hero Rocky Juarez to an entertaining draw.