Juan Manuel Marquez: I beat Manny Pacquiao twice -- Las Vegas Sun

By Brett Okamoto, Las Vegas Sun

From the bottom of his heart, Juan Manuel Marquez believes he’s beaten Manny Pacquiao twice.

But that will never be enough to the future hall of famer until three judges sitting ringside agree with him.

Just moments after turning in another terrific performance, stopping Michael Katsidis in the ninth round of their lightweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KO) emerged at the post-fight press conference wearing a shirt that proudly declared, “Marquez beat Pacquiao twice.”

He then made his case for a chance to do it again.

“It’s very clear I want to fight Pacquiao,” Marquez said. “I’ll consider any fighter if it’s not Pacquiao, but I feel I deserve to fight in the big fights.

“I feel like a broken record, but Pacquiao, Pacquiao, Pacquiao.”

Marquez and Pacquiao already have met in the boxing ring twice. Both times, Marquez left without his hand being raised.

The first meeting occurred at the MGM in 2004 and ended in a draw, despite Marquez being knocked down three times in the first round.

A rematch four years later at Mandalay Bay proved to be just as close, with Pacquiao slightly edging Marquez in a controversial split decision.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer remembers sitting ringside that night and complaining about the results to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who represents Pacquiao.

According to Schaefer, the prospect of a third meeting between the two fighters was brought up immediately, however, talks have since stalled.

“I remember I was upset about the results,” Schaefer said. “Arum was there and I was asking for the rematch and he said, ‘it will happen, but these things need time to mature.’

“Well, I think it’s matured and the time is now to get this fight done. I realize everyone wants to see (Floyd) Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. But if that fight is not going to happen now, then first things first. I think Juan Manuel Marquez should get the fight.”

Although there had been little interest expressed by Top Rank and Pacquiao for a third fight with Marquez, that appeared to change as of late.

The Filipino fighter went on record to say he would take the fight, but doesn’t believe it’s a matchup boxing fans truly want to see.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, went on to say in reports that if a fight were to take place, it would have to be at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds — a number much heavier than Marquez’s ideal weight.

The demand by Roach would seem to be a fair one, if it weren’t for the fact that 147 pounds is presumably above Pacquiao’s comfortable weight as well. In a 150-pound catchweight bout against Antonio Margarito earlier this month, Pacquiao weighed in at just 144.5 pounds.

At the post-fight press conference, Marquez addressed the issue and said if Roach and Pacquiao refused to come down, it would only be an excuse.

Let’s face it, (Pacquiao) has never made 147 pounds,” Marquez said. “He’s fought at welterweight but only weighed in at 145 or 144 pounds. It’s just an excuse to get away from the fight.”

The two previous meetings between the two boxers were held at featherweight and super featherweight.

The Pacquiao ordeal overshadowed a terrific performance by Marquez, who out-landed Katsidis, 327 punches to 194, according to ringside stats.

Despite the fact the end of the fight could have been controversial — referee Kenny Bayless was quick to stop the action even though Katsidis never hit the floor — the damage Marquez caused was so convincing that no one seemed to care.

It was only the second time in Katsidis’s nine-year career he’s been stopped.

“I think the referee did a good job,” Marquez said. “(Katsidis) wasn’t throwing back the entire round. I was landing all my punches.”

Marquez now will hope the verbal punches he’s thrown will hit their mark on Pacquiao.

Whether Pacquiao harbors a secret agreement that Marquez won their first two fights, the sight of a T-shirt proclaiming so is likely something that will get his attention.

“That’s why I want the third fight,” Marquez said. “I thought I won the first fight and the second one as well — clearly.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting

Source: lasvegassun.com

Marquez stops Katsidis in bruising fight -- Miami Herald

By Sports Network

Juan Manuel Marquez retained his WBA and WBO lightweight titles with a bruising ninth-round technical knockout of Michael Katsidis on Saturday night.

Marquez bided his time in the decisive round before hitting Katsidis with a flurry of punches -- a series of uppercuts and straight rights that had the challenger backing away.

Finally, referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight at 2 minutes and 14 seconds, giving Marquez (52-5-1, 37 KO) a TKO over the rugged Katsidis.

"We knew it was going to be a difficult bout. It was so difficult he even surprised me," Marquez said afterward through a translator.

The surprise? Katsidis (27-3) knocked Marquez to the mat with a left hook in the third round after the champ left himself wide-open.

Not surprising? This was one heck of a fight.

The boxers landed a ton of throws in the punch-a-second action, with neither one backing down. They fought inside through eight and a half rounds -- one count had them landing a combined 82 punches in the seventh. Slow rounds saw them land 50 or 60.

Marquez looked like he was beginning to back off in the ninth round, slowing the fight down as he gained clear control over Katsidis. But he picked it up, perhaps sensing weakness from an opponent that had begun to stagger, and landed the decisive series of punches in quick succession.

Marquez, a 37-year-old veteran from Mexico, is angling to remain in the race to meet Manny Pacquiao again after losing their last bout in 2008 (he earned a draw in 2004).

He offered a simple explanation on Saturday for why a third fight hasn't happened already.

"Pacquiao has been avoiding us," Marquez said.

The MGM Grand crowd saw a much shorter fight before the headliners.

Andre Berto retained his WBC welterweight title with a first-round TKO of Freddy Hernandez, landing a right cross that sent the challenger to the mat.

Berto (27-0, 21 KO) stepped into the punch and snuck it through Hernandez's hands, which were up. It was only the ninth punch he landed in the bout.

After dropping quickly, Hernandez (29-2) got off the mat, but referee Russell Mora stopped the fight after just 2 minutes and 7 seconds.

"I just jabbed to the stomach and came up top with that right," Berto said after barely breaking a sweat in his first fight since a TKO of Carlos Quintana in April.

Source: miamiherald.com

Andre Berto Scores First-Round KO, Wants Manny Pacquiao -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBC welterweight (147 pounds) titlist Andre Berto of Winter Haven, Fla., nailed Freddy Hernandez , of Mexico City, with a head-swiveling, right cross that was set up by a left hook to the other side of his face, dropping his rival for a first-round knockout in Saturday's HBO televised triple-header from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The end came at two minutes, seven seconds of the first round as Berto, in victory, rose to 27-0, with his 21st knockout, dropping Hernandez to 29-2, with 20 KOs.

"I was just trying to throw the jab, because I got to him with the jab a couple of times. So I was trying to jab him to the stomach, and then I came right back up to the head with that right hand," said Berto. "I believe that it was a left hand, and then I just came right over the top with that right hand. It was a left hook, actually, and then, I just came right up over the top and he fell straight back."

Berto ended a 12-fight winning streak that included six knockouts for Hernandez, who had last suffered defeat by split-decision to Golden Johnson in February of 2005.

Berto also staked his claim as a candidate for potential bouts with eight-division champion and WBO welterweight and WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt-holder, Manny Pacquiao' (52-3-2, 38 KOs), WBA junior middleweight king Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) or five-time titlist Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs).

"Right now, it doesn't matter who I fight. I've already eaten all of my appetizers, so I'm ready for the main courses of the division. So Shane Mosley, we have some unfinished business if he wants it. Or Miguel Cotto, or definitely Manny Pacquiao," said Berto of Pacquiao, who, like Cotto, is promoted by Top Rank Promotions while Mosley has been promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

"I think that I would be the best fighter out there for Pacquiao," said Berto. "I think that he definitely needs to fight someone who has speed who is strong and who is young, and so let's see what happens."
In another bout, WBA super bantamweight (122 pounds) king Celestino Caballero (34-3, 23 KOs) of Panama rose to super featherweight (130 pounds), where he suffered a mild, upset loss to Jason Litzau (28-2, 21 KOs), the NABF titlist from St. Paul, Minn.

Litzau earned a split-decision victory, winning, 97-93, and, 96-94, repsectively, on the cards of judges Glenn Trowbridge and Dave Moretti, with Al Lefkowitz calling it for Caballero, 96-94.

The two fights took place on the under card of a main event featuring WBO interim lightweight (135 pounds) king Michael Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs) of Australia challenging WBO and WBA champion Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) of Mexico despite the recent death of his 31-year-old brother, Stathi Katsidis, a top thoroughbred horse jockey in Australia who was found dead in mid-October in his Brisbane, Australia, home.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com