MARQUEZ KO’S CASAMAYOR FOR LIGHTWEIGHT CROWN
On the weekend of Mexico’s Independence Day, Juan Manuel Marquez earned the biggest win of his career when he twice dropped and stopped Joel Casamayor to end a technical but exciting battle for the linear Lightweight Championship.
It was not surprising that Marquez was able to upend Casamayor for the title, but the way in which he accomplished the feat was stunning. Not only is Marquez not considered a big puncher but also Casamayor brought into the ring with him a Kimbo Slice-sized beard that would embarrass any boxing fan who frowns on the use of such protective measures. Still, a perfectly placed shot, as Marquez twice executed, can break through even the biggest of cushions, and Casamayor, who had never been stopped in his career, could no longer boast that impressive accolade.
Marquez was the first to strike, knocking Casamayor back with some straight right hands in round one, but Casamayor came on stronger down the stretch of the round, landing his straight left hand often enough to edge a close one. The second round was even more difficult to score, but Casamayor caught Marquez with a solid one-two early and later landed a good short left as Marquez missed a flashy uppercut-right hand combination and seemed to be out in front.
After being knocked back by a big left hand in the third round, Marquez answered with a hard left hook, followed by the uppercut and straight right combination that he missed in the previous stanza. Marquez continued to push the attack with his straight right, even though Casamayor had his moments as well, knocking Marquez’ head up with a jab while missing the follow up left hand.
While both men are naturally counter punchers, it was Marquez who took the initiative and went after Casamayor early in round four with combination punching, landing several straight rights; however, as the round went on, Casamayor stood his ground and pounded back some jarring left hands, focusing on quality over quantity, and Marquez backed off from his decision to press after tasting the power of the Cuban southpaw. Though he won the round, it was Casamayor who went back to his corner with a cut over his right eye.
Marquez had a big round five, snapping Casamayor’s head back with his straight right not once but twice and increasing the size of the cut over the eye. Along the way, Marquez, who, along with his younger brother Rafael, has developed a reputation as somewhat of a wailer in recent years, looked like he was about to cry after getting his second warning for low blows. It was strange if only because Casamayor’s reputation has been that of a dirty fighter for much longer. Marquez kept his cool and won a hotly contested round six just as he withstood the champion’s left hand and connected with more right hands, bringing blood from Casamayor’s nose as well.
Casamayor, who had been given all he could handle by Michael Katsidis in March and deserved to lose against Jose Armando Santa Cruz last November, was starting to look every bit his age. He got in a few good left hands though not nearly enough to cancel all of the work Marquez did with his right hand throughout round seven. What Casamayor did manage to get was his second low blow warning, evening the count at two a piece between the fighters in a bout that had been fought on even terms but seemed to be tipping in Marquez’ favor as the Mexican found his rhythm and stepped up his attack.
Round eight was a dramatically different story as Casamayor landed his left hand over and over on the increasingly overanxious Marquez, timing the challenger to perfection as the action picked up. Again, in round nine Casamayor repeatedly knocked Marquez’ head up with his snapping straight left and appeared to turn the fight back in his favor.
But Marquez wasn’t going to stop coming forward. Turning the tide back in his own favor, Marquez put his stamp on round ten by snapping Casamayor’s head back with the better quality punches, including a hard right across the chin that rattled the champion. Though he was getting hit more the wilder he got, Marquez had the momentum going into the championship rounds, and the fight appeared to be dead even on points.
Casamayor had to know he wasn’t going to win a decision unless he picked up his pace, but he continued to throw one punch at a time until they started trading shots with thirty seconds left. It was at this time that Marquez finally caught Casamayor backing out of an exchange with his hands down and dropped him with a big right hand directly across the chin in round eleven, sending Casamayor collapsing onto his rear.
As the Mexican contingent of fans went wild, Casamayor got up and valiantly fought back, but Marquez wasted no time in ambushing him with hard left hooks and finally another right hand square on the chin that again dropped Casamayor on his rear before sending him rolling over onto his stomach. Referee Tony Weeks knew a beaten man when he saw one and opted to call a halt to the contest. Casamayor deserved a full count being the champion, though it’s clear he would have lost the fight had it continued, whether he made it to the final bell or not. In his first fight at lightweight, Marquez was the new champion of the division.
It was undoubtedly the biggest win of Marquez’ career given the significance of the bout, the opponent and the way in which he won – a knockout few saw coming on Mexico’s Independence Day weekend. He now becomes the linear Lightweight Champion in a division that includes the best fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao, a titlist with three straps, Nate Campbell, the rebounding Juan Diaz and undefeated Joan Guzman – that is, if Guzman isn’t a welterweight by now. By failing to make weight for his bout with Campbell and turning down the opportunity to fight, combined with the likelihood of a year long suspension, it’s possible Guzman will retire from the sport without ever getting a big fight.
It’s unlikely Marquez will get his dream match, a third date with Pacquiao, but he should be considered the favorite to clean out his division and make his own name for himself without chasing the best fighter in the sport around. Given the way he beat Casamayor and the fact that Joe Calzaghe is wasting his time fighting a far past it Roy Jones Jr., Marquez will probably surpass Calzaghe in pound-for-pound lists anyway. With Pacquiao close to retirement, Marquez could enjoy a brief reign as the best fighter in the world as long as he continues to win.
FORREST RETURNS MORA TO ‘CONTENDER’ STATUS
Despite looking every bit his age in their previous encounter, 37 year old Vernon Forrest promised WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Sergio Mora a beating in their rematch, and he delivered good on his promise.
Forrest told anybody who would listen that his June loss to Mora was the result of being unmotivated, unprepared and simply taking his opponent lightly – the usual spiel from the victim of an upset. But he may have been telling the truth in this case.
Long before the opening bell, Forrest looked ridiculously confident that he would avenge his defeat, nodding and jawing in the direction of Mora, usually the brasher of the two fighters, during the introductions. He went so far as to walk to the center of the ring and get in Mora’s face, assuring the Contender Season One Champion that his time as champion was over before it really began.
The cautious first round that could have gone either way left a lot to be desired, but once Forrest got his engines going, the fight was about as one-sided as fights between championship level fighters go. Forrest displayed superiority in all aspects of the sport, keeping Mora at the end of his jab and landing left hooks, right hands and uppercuts both to the head and body of the WBC Champion.
Forrest caught Mora with a good right hand to begin round two that immediately forced Mora to clinch. He pounded in one to the body, followed by another to the head shortly thereafter. As Forrest was cornering Mora in round three, they clashed heads, Forrest appearing the more affected by the blow; however, once he recovered, Forrest landed big left hooks on Mora, who had no answer from the seemingly rejuvenated challenger. At one point, even a grazing uppercut made Mora wince.
After being pummeled against the ropes in round four, Mora responded by waving the challenger on for more, his plan obviously being to tire Forrest out by the midway point as was the case the last time they fought. Mora, who seemed to be holding back too much, did land a good uppercut-left hook combination as he stood in and banged with Forrest, but he was being out fought and falling behind early.
Blood started coming from a cut over Mora’s left eye in the fifth round after Forrest held Mora’s head and hit him with several punches, and Forrest capitalized by landing a killer right hand on it. Several hard rights from Forrest closed out the round, one of them knocking a ducking Mora’s between the ropes. Round six was just as dominant for Forrest as he continued to land heavy rights on Mora’s eye. A frustrated Mora ended the round by moving around behind Forrest and hitting him from that position, anything he could do to have some semblance of success. Halfway through, Mora had arguably lost every round was starting to get beat up.
The highlight of the bout came in the last seconds of round seven when Forrest caught Mora with a hard left hook that buckled the champion’s legs and sent him staggering into the ropes. Mora tried to argue Referee Vic Drakulich’s ruling, technically having a case for himself as his knee never touched the canvas, but, just as easily, one could say the ropes had kept Mora on his feet. Further support for such a claim came in round eight where Mora looked like he could barely stay on his feet at times as Forrest walked him down. Then, Mora showed a sign of life when he landed a monster of a right hand in round nine, similar to how he turned the tide around the fifth round of the first fight. He had Forrest holding on from it though not in danger of being knocked down or out. More fireworks would be needed to retain his title, and he didn’t have it as Forrest hurt Mora back, battering the exhausted champion into the ropes with a right and almost knocking him through them at the end of the round.
The crowd chanted “Mora” to try to get him back in it, and Mora perhaps could have won the next two rounds with his work ethic but seemed to be outworked down the stretch of each of them. They slugged it out in round twelve, but it was Forrest who landed two crushing right hands to hurt Mora. At the final bell, Forrest stepped forward and had some words for Mora, and it’s not likely they were very kind.
The judges came up with respectable cards for the most part, though it’s certainly arguable that Mora lost every single round. They came up with 119-108, 118-109 and a questionable 117-110, wide enough overall to reflect the immense gap in ability between the two fighters.
When he lost to Mora back in June, Forrest looked shot. Like a true champion, he bounced back and proved everybody wrong with this win. Mora wasn’t interviewed following his defeat, but he’s likely going to claim having to lose the extra two pounds (he came in overweight at the initial weigh-in and had to return to weigh in at 154 pounds two hours later) slowed him down. He remained tough albeit clearly outmatched against a guy that came to prove the first fight was a fluke, and it’s safe to say at this point that it was.
