JUAREZ SHOWS HEART BUT COMES UP SHORT AGAINST MARQUEZ
Riding on the coattails of the highly anticipated Super Middleweight superfight between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler, the Junior Lightweight bout between WBC Champion Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez garnered at best modest interest from fight fans. An accidental headbutt that left Juarez badly bloodied over his left eye in only the first round looked to doom the match-up an inevitable failure; however, the hideous cut actually made the fight a more interesting affair. Rather than end in the ever-despised technical draw, Marquez and Juarez continued to fight for twelve rounds, putting on an entertaining contest that the champion eventually won in one-sided but enthusiastic fashion.
When expectations are low, a harsh critic is hard to find. Such was the case on Saturday night when Marquez and Juarez faced off for the WBC Junior Lightweight title. The pairing came about under extremely difficult circumstances. Marquez was initially scheduled to defend against wildman Jorge Rodrigo Barrios under a pay-per-view billing in September, but Barrios failed a medical examination due, ironically, to the discovery of torn retinas in his eyes. Golden Boy Promotions brought in Juarez, who had failed miserably when he was outboxed in a bout against Marco Antonio Barrera a year ago, to fill the challenger slot, but Marquez pulled out after suffering a cut hand in sparring and subsequent infection. Then, before the rescheduled event, Marquez suffered another injury in training that left him with a scarred forehead, but he refused to delay the bout any longer. These circumstances, however, paled in comparison to the situation Juarez found himself in as early as the first round against Marquez.
The fight began with both men fighting tactically aggressive, generally a recipe for outstanding fights that showcase both skill and physicality, but just when Juarez landed a good left hook, his head collided with Marquez’. Despite Marquez coming into the fight with the scarred forehead, it was Juarez who found himself on the receiving end of the headbutt, which left him bleeding profusely from a cut over the left eyelid. The blood would continue to pour the entire twelve rounds, which Rocky courageously made it through with the ringside doctor’s permission.
With Marquez winning the first three rounds, Juarez might have been better served to have the bout stopped before the completion of the fourth round in the hopes of escaping with a technical draw rather than another loss on his resume, but even if Juarez had given up at that point, a blunder on the part of the timekeepers saw the bell sound a full minute before the round was supposed to end. An uphill battle awaited Juarez, who embraced the challenge but was never able to catch Marquez long enough to mount a sustained attack and score a desperation knockout. Aside from an action packed round eight, Marquez remained clearly in control of the fight, displaying superb combinations and terrific defense against a game challenger.
Credit Juarez for never quitting. After being ripped with a combination in round eleven, Juarez responded by banging his gloves together as if to ask Marquez, who was already wearing a good amount of Juarez’ blood on his face, for more. The bleeding couldn’t be stopped, but Juarez couldn’t either. He made it to the final bell only to hear the lopsided scores of 117-111, 118-110, and 120-108 all in favor of Marquez, but he could claim a personal victory having survived.
Sometimes in boxing a loss can do more for a fighter’s career than a victory. This, obviously, is because boxing is ultimately based on money brought in from promotions. Fighters with outstanding records loaded with victories won in timid fashion are less likely to earn title opportunities than exciting fighters who could sport as many as a dozen losses but also some memorable comebacks and heartfelt victories. While a severe cut over the left eye may have not done Juarez any favors in the way of beating Marquez for the WBC title, the harsh conditions under which he competed may have helped him keep his career alive with a few more big fights in the future.
As for the champion, Marquez’ career is in excellent shape after perhaps his biggest two wins to date. Immediately after the fight, he called for the logical bout fans and promoters alike have been waiting for, the mouth-watering rematch from 2004 against Manny Pacquiao, a match-up that should have happened this fall. Pacquiao went for the money instead, fighting an unwarranted rematch against Marco Antonio Barrera, while Marquez took the unnecessary bout with Juarez. With the fall opponents out of the way, a spring showdown could and should be in the works as soon as possible to determine which of the two little men is the bigger and better man.
GUERRERO ANNIHILATES HONORIO IN UNDER A MINUTE
On the undercard, IBF Featherweight Champion Roberto Guerrero needed only 56 seconds to land a killer straight left hand and put challenger Martin Honorio down. Honorio was able to make it back to his feet before the ten count, but when he staggered forward several paces, Referee Tony Weeks had seen enough and called a halt to the contest.
Guerrero’s quick win allowed him to turn his focus towards a more pressing issue. His wife, Casey, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier in the same week as his bout, but the shocking news didn’t detract him from taking care of business against Honorio. Guerrero hopes big fights will come his way following his impressive victory.
