By Brett Okamoto, Las Vegas Sun
It took Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto about six years to become a household name in the sport.
Juan Manuel Lopez appears to be on the same plan.
The 27-year-old Lopez (30-0, 26 KO) recorded the biggest win of his career Saturday in front of 4,818 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, stopping two-time world champion Rafael Marquez (39-6-0, 35 KO) in eight rounds of work.
The charismatic fighter will celebrate the win by returning to Puerto Rico where, according to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, he’ll host his next fight in early 2011.
“His next fight will take place in Puerto Rico,” Arum said. “This is the way we handled Miguel Cotto. We kept bringing him back to Puerto Rico and that made him huge later down the road on pay-per-view.
“We’ll do the same thing with Juan Manuel Lopez in the first quarter (of 2011).”
Like Lopez, Cotto began his professional career on a tear, winning his first 31 fights.
Included in those was a 2007 bout against Zab Judah in New York City at the Madison Square Garden. The fight helped Cotto break his way into the mainstream. Two years later, he’d fight Manny Pacquiao in a bout that generated 1.25 million pay-per-view buys.
Lopez still has a way to go when it comes to worldwide star power, but his dominant performance over Marquez this weekend went a long way in showing that, competitively speaking, he’s ready for the biggest stage.
Following his impressive win over a future hall of famer, Lopez may have put the win into words best.
“Today, I join the elite of the division,” he said.
Even the fact that Marquez may have been slowed by a nagging shoulder injury shouldn’t dampen Lopez’s biggest win.
Although Marquez wasn’t present at the post-fight press conference to give Lopez full credit for the win, his promoter, Gary Shaw, did it for him.
“(Marquez) is a great champion but he was beaten by a better fighter in the ring tonight,” Shaw said. “There are no other excuses. We knew we had a shoulder problem coming into the fight, but it’s not an excuse.
“Juan Manuel Lopez is an explosive fighter.”
Following in the footsteps of another Puerto Rican champion, Felix Trinidad, Lopez has developed one of the most exciting fighting styles in all of boxing — one of very little defense.
In the buildup to Saturday’s fight, Marquez and his camp made comments on the featherweight champion’s chin, stating he’s shown a vulnerability of going down often in his fights.
Whether cognitive or not, it almost seemed as if Lopez took those claims as a challenge Saturday, standing in the pocket and throwing caution to the win throughout all eight rounds.
“This was an opportunity for me to show everyone not only that I can punch, but that I can take a punch,” Lopez said. “I fought the best puncher in the division and he couldn’t knock me down.”
Marquez nearly took advantage of Lopez’s aggressiveness in the fourth round, when he landed a hard counter left hook that buckled his opponent’s knees and had him in visible trouble.
Instead of going down, however, Lopez survived and weathered every shot the hard-hitting Marquez gave him. Even with the knowledge of Marquez’s injury, Shaw admitted he couldn’t believe Lopez didn’t hit the canvas.
“(I was) shocked,” Shaw said. “Everyone said Juan Manuel didn’t have a chin — that he went down against this guy and that guy.
“I know one thing. The Juan Manuel that showed up tonight had one hell of a chin.”
Following his next bout in Puerto Rico against a yet to be determined opponent, Lopez is expected to get his shot against fellow undefeated featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa (19-0, 15 KO) in June, who holds the IBF belt.
Like Lopez, Gamboa is expected to fight once before that.
While a title fight against the Cuban Gamboa might not catapult Lopez into the spotlight quite like the victory over Judah did for Cotto, a matchup between two confident, undefeated knockout artists is an easy fight to promote.
And one Arum is clearly looking forward to.
“If we can make it, which I think we can make it, we’ll look forward to fighting Gamboa in June.”
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting
Source: lasvegassun.com
Showing posts with label Rafael Marquez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rafael Marquez. Show all posts
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Sunday, 23 May 2010
His legacy intact, Vazquez should retire -- ESPN
By Steve Springer, Special to ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- A fifth fight?
No. Never.
Whether it's the California State Athletic Commission, his manager, his trainer, his family, his friends, his fans or all of the above, somebody needs to reason with Israel Vazquez.
After losing on a third-round TKO to Rafael Marquez on Saturday night at Staples Center, in front of a crowd of 9,236, Vazquez should not only abandon his storied rivalry with Marquez after four fights, but his career as well.
The fight was stopped by referee Raul Caiz Jr. at the 1:33 mark of the round because of cuts over both eyes, the blood streaming down Vazquez's face.
The cut over the left eye was caused by a punch in the first round, the cut over the right eye by a head butt.
But the truth is, both cuts were the result of a savage career in which the 32-year-old Vazquez accepted a great deal of punishment on the way toward a 44-5 record with 33 knockouts. His excellence had earned him the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council super bantamweight titles, but it had also left him with eyelids about as thick as tissue paper.
He had won two of the three previous ferocious battles against Marquez. But even in victory the blood streamed down from those fragile eyelids, creating patterns across Vazquez's face that resembled a spider web.
As it turned out, the damage went even deeper. Since last facing Marquez, Vasquez had several surgeries to repair a detached retina.
When Marquez and Vazquez ran across each other at the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight in December 2008, Marquez -- eager for revenge after losing the rubber match between the two -- asked for a fourth fight.
Vazquez, proving to be a pretty good prophet, pointed to his eyes and said he needed to heal.
Obviously that hasn't happened.
Marquez won the first two rounds decisively Saturday night, then knocked down Vazquez early in the third round with a solid right hand.
Vazquez got to his feet, but when the onslaught resumed and Vazquez seemingly unable to see the right hand coming, the match was wisely stopped.
"It was definitely the plan to go after the eyes because of the surgeries," said the 35-year-old Marquez (39-5, 35 knockouts). "Because he hit me pretty good, I thought the fight would go longer."
"I need to close up the cuts," Vazquez said, "and five to six months to recover. But if the commission is OK with another fight and the fans want it, I would be willing to do it. We gave the fans four great fights."
Make that three great fights, one of the greatest boxing trilogies ever. Vazquez lost the first fight on a seventh-round TKO when he suffered a broken nose. He won the rematch on a sixth-round TKO. He won the third fight on a close decision.
All three fights were classics. That's a legacy Vazquez can be proud of. And one he should stand on.
Perez vs. Mares
Saturday's semi-main event, some predicted, would steal the show. If non-stop action, consummate skill and grim determination are the determining factors, that was indeed the case.
IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez and challenger Abner Mares brought a combined 40-0 record and 27 knockouts into the ring.
When they exited, they were still unbeaten after a technical draw. Perez is 20-0-1 with 14 knockouts, Mares 20-0-1, with 13 KOs.
Judges Eugenia Williams and Gwen Adair had it draw. The third judge, Marty Denkin, had Mares a winner, 115-113.
I must have been watching a different fight. I gave it to Mares 116-112. I thought he was the more accurate puncher, exhibited better ring command and blunted every attack by Perez.
No surprise. When it was over, both fighters claimed victory.
"I won this fight," said Perez. "It was not a draw."
"I'm really sad," said Mares. "I thought I won and the crowd thought I won."
There will probably be another fight between the two.
Let's hope that is not the case with the main event.
Steve Springer is a freelance journalist and the author of eight books, the last three best-sellers. He was an award-winning sports writer with the Los Angeles Times for 25 years and is a past winner of the Nat Fleischer Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Boxing Writers' Association of America.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
LOS ANGELES -- A fifth fight?
No. Never.
Whether it's the California State Athletic Commission, his manager, his trainer, his family, his friends, his fans or all of the above, somebody needs to reason with Israel Vazquez.
After losing on a third-round TKO to Rafael Marquez on Saturday night at Staples Center, in front of a crowd of 9,236, Vazquez should not only abandon his storied rivalry with Marquez after four fights, but his career as well.
The fight was stopped by referee Raul Caiz Jr. at the 1:33 mark of the round because of cuts over both eyes, the blood streaming down Vazquez's face.
The cut over the left eye was caused by a punch in the first round, the cut over the right eye by a head butt.
But the truth is, both cuts were the result of a savage career in which the 32-year-old Vazquez accepted a great deal of punishment on the way toward a 44-5 record with 33 knockouts. His excellence had earned him the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council super bantamweight titles, but it had also left him with eyelids about as thick as tissue paper.
He had won two of the three previous ferocious battles against Marquez. But even in victory the blood streamed down from those fragile eyelids, creating patterns across Vazquez's face that resembled a spider web.
As it turned out, the damage went even deeper. Since last facing Marquez, Vasquez had several surgeries to repair a detached retina.
When Marquez and Vazquez ran across each other at the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight in December 2008, Marquez -- eager for revenge after losing the rubber match between the two -- asked for a fourth fight.
Vazquez, proving to be a pretty good prophet, pointed to his eyes and said he needed to heal.
Obviously that hasn't happened.
Marquez won the first two rounds decisively Saturday night, then knocked down Vazquez early in the third round with a solid right hand.
Vazquez got to his feet, but when the onslaught resumed and Vazquez seemingly unable to see the right hand coming, the match was wisely stopped.
"It was definitely the plan to go after the eyes because of the surgeries," said the 35-year-old Marquez (39-5, 35 knockouts). "Because he hit me pretty good, I thought the fight would go longer."
"I need to close up the cuts," Vazquez said, "and five to six months to recover. But if the commission is OK with another fight and the fans want it, I would be willing to do it. We gave the fans four great fights."
Make that three great fights, one of the greatest boxing trilogies ever. Vazquez lost the first fight on a seventh-round TKO when he suffered a broken nose. He won the rematch on a sixth-round TKO. He won the third fight on a close decision.
All three fights were classics. That's a legacy Vazquez can be proud of. And one he should stand on.
Perez vs. Mares
Saturday's semi-main event, some predicted, would steal the show. If non-stop action, consummate skill and grim determination are the determining factors, that was indeed the case.
IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez and challenger Abner Mares brought a combined 40-0 record and 27 knockouts into the ring.
When they exited, they were still unbeaten after a technical draw. Perez is 20-0-1 with 14 knockouts, Mares 20-0-1, with 13 KOs.
Judges Eugenia Williams and Gwen Adair had it draw. The third judge, Marty Denkin, had Mares a winner, 115-113.
I must have been watching a different fight. I gave it to Mares 116-112. I thought he was the more accurate puncher, exhibited better ring command and blunted every attack by Perez.
No surprise. When it was over, both fighters claimed victory.
"I won this fight," said Perez. "It was not a draw."
"I'm really sad," said Mares. "I thought I won and the crowd thought I won."
There will probably be another fight between the two.
Let's hope that is not the case with the main event.
Steve Springer is a freelance journalist and the author of eight books, the last three best-sellers. He was an award-winning sports writer with the Los Angeles Times for 25 years and is a past winner of the Nat Fleischer Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Boxing Writers' Association of America.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Vazquez-Marquez connection still strong -- ESPN
By Steve Springer, Special to ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- The pain was so great, Rafael Marquez couldn't bear to watch.
He had battled and bled for 25 rounds against Israel Vazquez in one of the most action-packed trilogies in boxing history.
Marquez had pulled himself off the canvas in the first fight to win by seventh-round TKO when Vazquez quit because of a broken nose. Marquez himself had lost by TKO in the sixth round of the rematch. And he had stood mano a mano for 12 rounds with Vazquez in the third fight, ultimately losing a split decision by one point on one judge's scorecard.
Marquez turned his back on boxing to heal his body and mind, also turning his back on every opportunity to watch a replay of Vazquez-Marquez III, the best of them all.
Marquez knew there have been few times in boxing history that two fighters have squared off for a fourth time. But he hungered for one more shot at his archrival, one more chance to take aim at the man with whom he will always be linked.
When he ran into Vazquez at the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas in December 2008, Marquez pleaded his case.
Vazquez had been absent from the ring himself, but not by design. He reveled in that third fight. He watched it 30 times, always taking delight in his 12th-round knockdown of Marquez that clinched the outcome.
But Vazquez couldn't watch with clear vision because he had suffered a detached retina.
On Saturday night -- his eye healed after multiple surgeries -- Vazquez will give Marquez his long-awaited chance for redemption. Vazquez-Marquez IV will be the main event at Staples Center, the fighters moving up to featherweight after fighting their previous battles at super bantamweight.
Both fighters weighed in Friday at 125½ pounds, a half-pound below the limit.
"It's going to be a war," Marquez said.
"These two guys are attached at the hip, like Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward," said Gary Shaw, Marquez's promoter.
There have been doubts about Marquez and Vazquez each time they stepped into the ring, doubts about how good the first fight would be, doubts if the rematch would equal it, doubts about how the third fight could possibly match the first two. Each, as it turned out, was better than the last.
Now there are doubts about how much these two guys have left. Marquez (38-5, 34 knockouts) is 35 years old and has fought only once since the conclusion of the trilogy, beating Jose Mendoza on a third-round TKO a year ago.
Vazquez (44-4, 33) is 32, but he, too, has fought only once since the trilogy, beating Angel Priolo, who had seven losses in 37 fights, last October.
"My motivation is to shut those naysayers' mouths," Vazquez said. "They say I shouldn't be fighting anymore. ... I want to let them know I can still make great fights. Rafa and I might be in wheelchairs one day, but we'll still be throwing punches."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Promoters and fans alike are talking about the possibility of Saturday's semi-main event "stealing the show."
How do you steal the show when you are followed by two men who have staged a classic boxing trilogy?
Matching undefeated fighters who are a combined 40-0 with 27 knockouts is a good start.
Yonnhy Perez (20-0, 14) will be making the first defense of his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title against Abner Mares (19-0, 13).
Perez, a Colombian who lives in Santa Fe Springs, and Mares, a Mexican who lives in Hawaiian Gardens, are friends.
But not Saturday.
No argument from Mares.
"In the ring," he said, "we are the worst of enemies. Outside the ring, the best of friends."
Steve Springer
is a freelance journalist and the author of eight books, the last three best-sellers. He was an award-winning sports writer with the Los Angeles Times for 25 years and is a past winner of the Nat Fleischer Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Boxing Writers' Association of America.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
LOS ANGELES -- The pain was so great, Rafael Marquez couldn't bear to watch.
He had battled and bled for 25 rounds against Israel Vazquez in one of the most action-packed trilogies in boxing history.
Marquez had pulled himself off the canvas in the first fight to win by seventh-round TKO when Vazquez quit because of a broken nose. Marquez himself had lost by TKO in the sixth round of the rematch. And he had stood mano a mano for 12 rounds with Vazquez in the third fight, ultimately losing a split decision by one point on one judge's scorecard.
Marquez turned his back on boxing to heal his body and mind, also turning his back on every opportunity to watch a replay of Vazquez-Marquez III, the best of them all.
Marquez knew there have been few times in boxing history that two fighters have squared off for a fourth time. But he hungered for one more shot at his archrival, one more chance to take aim at the man with whom he will always be linked.
When he ran into Vazquez at the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas in December 2008, Marquez pleaded his case.
Vazquez had been absent from the ring himself, but not by design. He reveled in that third fight. He watched it 30 times, always taking delight in his 12th-round knockdown of Marquez that clinched the outcome.
But Vazquez couldn't watch with clear vision because he had suffered a detached retina.
On Saturday night -- his eye healed after multiple surgeries -- Vazquez will give Marquez his long-awaited chance for redemption. Vazquez-Marquez IV will be the main event at Staples Center, the fighters moving up to featherweight after fighting their previous battles at super bantamweight.
Both fighters weighed in Friday at 125½ pounds, a half-pound below the limit.
"It's going to be a war," Marquez said.
"These two guys are attached at the hip, like Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward," said Gary Shaw, Marquez's promoter.
There have been doubts about Marquez and Vazquez each time they stepped into the ring, doubts about how good the first fight would be, doubts if the rematch would equal it, doubts about how the third fight could possibly match the first two. Each, as it turned out, was better than the last.
Now there are doubts about how much these two guys have left. Marquez (38-5, 34 knockouts) is 35 years old and has fought only once since the conclusion of the trilogy, beating Jose Mendoza on a third-round TKO a year ago.
Vazquez (44-4, 33) is 32, but he, too, has fought only once since the trilogy, beating Angel Priolo, who had seven losses in 37 fights, last October.
"My motivation is to shut those naysayers' mouths," Vazquez said. "They say I shouldn't be fighting anymore. ... I want to let them know I can still make great fights. Rafa and I might be in wheelchairs one day, but we'll still be throwing punches."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Promoters and fans alike are talking about the possibility of Saturday's semi-main event "stealing the show."
How do you steal the show when you are followed by two men who have staged a classic boxing trilogy?
Matching undefeated fighters who are a combined 40-0 with 27 knockouts is a good start.
Yonnhy Perez (20-0, 14) will be making the first defense of his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title against Abner Mares (19-0, 13).
Perez, a Colombian who lives in Santa Fe Springs, and Mares, a Mexican who lives in Hawaiian Gardens, are friends.
But not Saturday."This is our job," Perez said. "He wants to win and I want to win. We'll still be friends afterward, probably better friends than before."
No argument from Mares.
"In the ring," he said, "we are the worst of enemies. Outside the ring, the best of friends."
is a freelance journalist and the author of eight books, the last three best-sellers. He was an award-winning sports writer with the Los Angeles Times for 25 years and is a past winner of the Nat Fleischer Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Boxing Writers' Association of America.Source: sports.espn.go.com
Friday, 19 March 2010
Vazquez, Marquez not done mixing it up -- The Orange County Register
By MARK WHICKER, The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES – It's a laughable question to ask of a sport that often gives us 12 rounds without contact and 365 days without significance.
But can a fight be too good?
Especially for the good of the fighters?
Oscar De La Hoya asked himself that question when Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez told him they were not done with each other, not after 25 rounds and three matches that represented boxing's highest common denominator.
"I was one of those who didn't want to see it again," De La Hoya said Thursday. "These guys fought three wars that, historically, were as good as any trilogy we've ever seen."
But eventually De La Hoya was outvoted "two to one," he said.
He also had other numbers in mind, particularly attendance numbers at Staples Center.
So, on May 22, here comes the fourth Battle of Mexico.
"I have to respect what the fighters want," De La Hoya said. "They wanted to close the book on who's best, once and for all. They wanted to give it to the fans. This will sell out this building. There's nothing I can do but stage it."
Vazquez and Marquez first met at The Home Depot Center on March 3, 2007. Marquez, coming up to 121 pounds, broke Vazquez's nose and won in the seventh round.
The first rematch was only five months and a day later, in Hidalgo, Texas, and Vazquez won that one in six.
The "tiebreaker" happened March 1, 2007, again at Home Depot. By now the true fans were riveted and a fairly wide chunk of "event" fans were curious. After 11 rounds, Marquez led.
"But then he felt he could just get through the 12th round and win a decision," remembered Eric Gomez, the matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions. "He was fighting not to lose. Israel was fighting to win."
Which he did, with a dazzling 12th round that earned him a split decision by one point.
"But nobody felt there was closure," said Frank Espinoza, Vazquez's manager.
How could there be? It was like losing the seventh game of the World Series on an infield single.
No one can deny Vazquez and Marquez the chance to take their hearts, souls and, really, lives into the ring once more.
Not if you sat there numbly Saturday night and waited 12 rounds for Joshua Clottey to mount the slightest hostility toward Manny Pacquiao. Not if a juicy fight like Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. still is a figment of PlayStation. Not if you watched any heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis retired Mike Tyson.
But you also reserve the right to shut at least one eye.
"There have been some comments from people," Gomez said. "Some people have mixed emotions. They're compassionate. But the hard core boxing fan says, 'Yeah! Fight 10 times.'
"Everywhere these boxers go, people ask them when they're getting back in the ring. Some of the on-and-off fans are interested, too. Maybe they missed one of the previous fights. They don't want to do that again."
Vazquez says he's heard the concerns.
"I don't have anything bad to say about people who say that," he said, through an interpreter, "but I know I want this fight because I want to prove who the better fighter is."
But then the outcome is almost irrelevant to many fans. They're in it for the thrill ride to the top of boxing's aspirations. In many of those 25 rounds, each fighter took turns at the controls, almost like improv theatre. Except the blood was real.
Vazquez has spent most of the past two years recovering from detached retina surgery. Each man has fought and won once, not very impressively, since Vazquez-Marquez III.
Marquez's only subsequent fight was a 3-round TKO of Jose Mendoza in Mexico last May 23.
The two Mexico City natives have not become buddies like Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward were, but they are cordial. They speak at restaurant encounters, and Marquez came over to shake Vazquez's hand Thursday. Certainly they know how they have defined, and enriched, each other. In each fight, Vazquez and Marquez have split the gate evenly.
"They are legends," said Gary Shaw, Marquez's promoter. "They will walk into the Hall of Fame together. To me, this is just the start of the next trilogy."
Maybe. For now it's Vazquez-Marquez IV.
De La Hoya speaks for an entire sport when he hopes the IV stands for four and not intravenous.
mwhicker@ocregister.com
Source: ocregister.com
LOS ANGELES – It's a laughable question to ask of a sport that often gives us 12 rounds without contact and 365 days without significance.
But can a fight be too good?
Especially for the good of the fighters?
Oscar De La Hoya asked himself that question when Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez told him they were not done with each other, not after 25 rounds and three matches that represented boxing's highest common denominator.
"I was one of those who didn't want to see it again," De La Hoya said Thursday. "These guys fought three wars that, historically, were as good as any trilogy we've ever seen."
But eventually De La Hoya was outvoted "two to one," he said.
He also had other numbers in mind, particularly attendance numbers at Staples Center.
So, on May 22, here comes the fourth Battle of Mexico.
"I have to respect what the fighters want," De La Hoya said. "They wanted to close the book on who's best, once and for all. They wanted to give it to the fans. This will sell out this building. There's nothing I can do but stage it."
Vazquez and Marquez first met at The Home Depot Center on March 3, 2007. Marquez, coming up to 121 pounds, broke Vazquez's nose and won in the seventh round.
The first rematch was only five months and a day later, in Hidalgo, Texas, and Vazquez won that one in six.
The "tiebreaker" happened March 1, 2007, again at Home Depot. By now the true fans were riveted and a fairly wide chunk of "event" fans were curious. After 11 rounds, Marquez led.
"But then he felt he could just get through the 12th round and win a decision," remembered Eric Gomez, the matchmaker for Golden Boy Promotions. "He was fighting not to lose. Israel was fighting to win."
Which he did, with a dazzling 12th round that earned him a split decision by one point.
"But nobody felt there was closure," said Frank Espinoza, Vazquez's manager.
How could there be? It was like losing the seventh game of the World Series on an infield single.
No one can deny Vazquez and Marquez the chance to take their hearts, souls and, really, lives into the ring once more.
Not if you sat there numbly Saturday night and waited 12 rounds for Joshua Clottey to mount the slightest hostility toward Manny Pacquiao. Not if a juicy fight like Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. still is a figment of PlayStation. Not if you watched any heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis retired Mike Tyson.
But you also reserve the right to shut at least one eye.
"There have been some comments from people," Gomez said. "Some people have mixed emotions. They're compassionate. But the hard core boxing fan says, 'Yeah! Fight 10 times.'
"Everywhere these boxers go, people ask them when they're getting back in the ring. Some of the on-and-off fans are interested, too. Maybe they missed one of the previous fights. They don't want to do that again."
Vazquez says he's heard the concerns.
"I don't have anything bad to say about people who say that," he said, through an interpreter, "but I know I want this fight because I want to prove who the better fighter is."
But then the outcome is almost irrelevant to many fans. They're in it for the thrill ride to the top of boxing's aspirations. In many of those 25 rounds, each fighter took turns at the controls, almost like improv theatre. Except the blood was real.
Vazquez has spent most of the past two years recovering from detached retina surgery. Each man has fought and won once, not very impressively, since Vazquez-Marquez III.
Marquez's only subsequent fight was a 3-round TKO of Jose Mendoza in Mexico last May 23.
The two Mexico City natives have not become buddies like Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward were, but they are cordial. They speak at restaurant encounters, and Marquez came over to shake Vazquez's hand Thursday. Certainly they know how they have defined, and enriched, each other. In each fight, Vazquez and Marquez have split the gate evenly.
"They are legends," said Gary Shaw, Marquez's promoter. "They will walk into the Hall of Fame together. To me, this is just the start of the next trilogy."
Maybe. For now it's Vazquez-Marquez IV.
De La Hoya speaks for an entire sport when he hopes the IV stands for four and not intravenous.
mwhicker@ocregister.com
Source: ocregister.com
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