Saturday, March 7, 2009

By Isaac Kuhlman

  Last Saturday night Juan Manuel Marquez put another stamp in his boxing legacy by defeating Juan Diaz via 9th round KO leaving no controversy in his victory. This comes into sharp contrast with every major Marquez fight where controversy is usually the first word mentioned after the match. The real story is that Marquez gets the short end of the stick because he is not the guy with the biggest entourage or the biggest entrance, but he is the guy who can beat any other fighter in his weight class on any given night.

  With an 11th round KO of Joel Casamayor in September of 2008, Marquez won his first Lightweight title giving him his 6th title in 3 different weight classes (Featherweight, Super Featherweight, and Lightweight). This is a feat accomplished by very few other fighters, and almost all (if not all) are in the International Boxing Hall of Fame or will be after their careers are over. So why is Marquez so overlooked in the boxing world right now? Sportswriters and die-hard fans of boxing know how dangerous Marquez is, but it seems he is still in the shadow of some of the fighters in his own weight class even after he beats them.

  Joel Casamayor, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Johnny Tapia, and even Juan Diaz are all pretty well-known fighters and have been for many years in their weight class. Marquez has either defeated them or taking them to a draw (Pacquiao) in a fight. This is just a side note as Marquez now holds 3 belts in the Lightweight division. It leaves me wondering, "How good does a boxer have to be before he gets his commercial respect?"

  It seems to me that every time Marquez wins there is someone, somewhere saying how it was because there were outside factors involved as if Marquez should never win a fight.

  It is true that Marquez is traditionally the underdog in most of his main fights, but that is what I find even more impressive about his career. It is as if Rocky Balboa's fictitious spirit flowed into the heart of a 130-pound, Mexican fighter.

  Marquez is now 35, and, though there have been fighters, such as Roberto Duran, who fight until they are 50 years old, Marquez is out of his prime but not out of the game. I just find it mind boggling that it took this long to really look back at Marquez's career, even for myself, and see what he has really accomplished.

  A true fighter, a true warrior, uncompromising, and the heart of a champion are the words I can think to describe Marquez. It should be that other fans can see him in the same light.