Marquez-Juarez Results & Discussion 11/3/07

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By Robert Morales
SGVTribune.com

Ricardo Juarez (L) throws a left at Marco Antonio Barrera during their WBC super featherweight title fight at Staples Center. Barrera defeated Juarez to retain his belt. Juarez will try again for the super featherweight title against Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 15. If Rocky Juarez isn't careful, he is one day going to be mentioned in the same breath as Ruben Castillo. On the surface, there would be no shame in that. Digging deeper, it's the last thing Juarez wants.

Castillo was a splendid featherweight/super featherweight whose prime years were in the 1980s. Any time he fought, there were bound to be plenty of thrills because his fights were always exciting. You just knew he was going to become world champion.

Well, Castillo fought four times for a world title from 1980-85.

But get this, his opponents were Alexis Arguello,

Salvador Sanchez, Juan LaPorte and Julio Cesar Chavez. Arguello, Sanchez and Chavez are only three of the greatest fighters in history. And LaPorte was an outstanding world champion in his own right.

Castillo lost all four fights and never became champion.

Fast-forward to the present. Juarez, a U.S. Olympian who won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games, is 27-3 with 19 knockouts. He is a talented, hard-hitting fighter with all the makings of a champion. But so far, he is 0-for-2 in title fights against the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera.

Two weeks from Saturday, on Sept. 15 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas,

there is a good chance Juarez will make it 0-for-3 when he challenges Juan Manuel Marquez for his super featherweight championship. Marquez may not have received the same notoriety as fellow Mexicans Barrera and Erik Morales have over the past decade, but he is arguably every bit as good as those two. Ask Barrera, who lost the super featherweight belt he twice defended against Juarez, to Marquez in March.
We spoke Wednesday with Juarez about his newest challenge. He was told about Castillo's story, but he came with confidence when addressing how it relates to his.

"It never comes to mind that I am never going to win a world title," Juarez said. "I do look at it as, I'm fighting the best. Win or lose, as long as I go out there and perform the best I can, that means more to me than the outcome.

"I'm going to prove to myself that I fought the best. And I feel that Sept. 15, I am going to go out there and win that title."

Juarez distinguished himself well against Barrera, first losing a split decision, then a unanimous decision that was very close on two of the three scorecards. Juarez's other loss was to Humberto Soto, another tremendous fighter who won a narrow unanimous decision in an interim title fight.

Juarez, 27, said he learned a lot from those setbacks. Most importantly, he realizes that he needs to start quicker and throw more punches. He admitted that he had gotten into the bad habit of looking for that one big knockout punch because he has one-punch knockout power.

"I just need to start off quick from the first round and then fight hard through the 12th round," said Juarez, of Houston.

Originally, Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KOs), was supposed to defend against Jorge Barrios. But Barrios suffered an eye injury and withdrew. When that happens, oftentimes the new opponent is a more of a slouch in comparison to the original opponent. But Marquez realizes that is not the case here.

As Juarez pointed out, Marquez knows that Barrera was nearly beaten by Juarez in their first fight, and that Barrera opted to stick and move in their rematch because he was hurt late by Juarez in that first fight.

"I know Rocky Juarez is a tough fighter," Marquez said. "He wants that title. He has been looking for any title for a very long time."

HBO pay-per-view will televise the Golden Boy Promotions card for $44.95.

Oganov-Zuniga

All four of today's world heavyweight champions are from Eastern bloc countries. But Victor Oganov of Russia is trying to make his mark in the super middleweight division, and Saturday we'll get a chance to see if he's the real deal.

Oganov, nicknamed "The Destroyer," will take on Fulgencio Zuniga of Colombia in the main event from Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Wash. Showtime will televise as part of its ShoBox series featuring up-and-comers.

If you are interested in knockouts, the 31-year-old Oganov is 26-0, every victory coming by way of knockout. Only two of his opponents have lasted into the seventh round. Thirteen of his knockouts have come inside of two rounds.

Oganov is not only a hard-hitting fighter, but also a smart one.

His lofty 100 percent knockout ratio notwithstanding, Oganov apparently does not go into a fight expecting to stop his opponent. Kind of like a good home run hitter, he lets it come naturally.

"(Saturday) is going to be just my second fight in America,"

Oganov said. "I want to prove that I deserve to be a world champion. It will be fun, and it will definitely be interesting. It also will be a very hard fight because Zuniga is a good fighter.

"He gets knocked down, and he gets back up. We cannot promise a knockout, but we can promise one thing, and that's a good fight."

Oganov currently makes his home in Australia. But once again showing his intelligence, he came to Los Angeles a few weeks ago to complete his training for this 12-round fight.

"There is good sparring in Los Angeles," said Oganov, who has done some of his sparring at La Brea Boxing in Los Angeles.

"Some of the best super middleweights in the world are here right now."

Zuniga, 30, is no slouch. He is 19-2-1 with 16 knockouts. He, too, packs a wallop. And his two losses have come to world-class fighters Daniel Santos and Kelly Pavlik. Zuniga lost a 12-round decision in a challenge to Santos' junior middleweight belt in June 2003, and he was stopped in the ninth round by current top middleweight contender Pavlik in October 2005.

"I look forward to fighting him," Zuniga said. "I know Oganov is a hard puncher and has a lot of knockouts, but he hasn't been in against the same level of opposition I have. ...

"I am not a runner. With the two of us, there will definitely be a lot of banging."

The semi-main event will James Kirkland against Mohammad Said in a junior middleweight bout. Kirkland, 23, of Austin, Texas, is another one to watch. The southpaw is 19-0 with 16 knockouts.

Said resides in Secaucus, N.J., but is from Brazil. He is 21-5-1 with 14 knockouts.

Rising star

Juan Carlos Burgos. Remember that name because if his performance last Friday on a Thompson Boxing Promotions card in Corona is any indication, you'll be hearing it a lot.

Burgos stopped Adam Carrera, once ranked as high as No. 5 in the world, in the third round with a body punch. Pat Russell, a longtime referee and judge, was one of three judges. He said afterward that he was impressed at Burgos' cool nature in the ring when Carrera was going after him with abandon.

Burgos, just 19, is 15-0 with 13 knockouts in the featherweight division.

The card was another success for promoter Ken Thompson, as nearly 1,800 fans filled up the outdoor arena at his Omega Products International.

Thompson's next card will be Sept. 21 at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario. The main event will feature heavyweight standoutChris "The Nightmare" Arreola (21-0, 19 KOs) of Riverside against Thomas Hayes (26-1, 18 KOs) of Chicago.

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BOXING Marquez- Juan Manuel Marquez's first defense of the World Boxing Council super-featherweight belt he won in March has been canceled.

Marquez suffered a cut on his right hand that developed into an infection, Marquez's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, said. Marquez was set to defend his title Sept. 15 against Rocky Juarez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

No makeup date has been scheduled.

[diggity]

4th time must be the charm then. I honestly don't care much for Juarez. He is not the elite & is basically an also-ran. He needs a certain type of fight to be exciting otherwise he is very limited & boring to watch IMO.

[prodigious1]

Juarez would have David Tua'd it all around the ring anyway.

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MARQUEZ VS. JUAREZ BACK ON – NOVEMBER 3!

For Immediate Release

SHOWTIME To Televise 130-Pound World Championship Bout,

Plus, Featherweight Title Bout Between Guerrero and Honorio
In First SHOWTIME Televised Golden Boy Event

Saturday, November 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 15, 2007) – Boxing fans were left disappointed last week by the announcement that the WBC super featherweight title bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez was called off due to a Marquez injury, but thanks to some quick work by Golden Boy Promotions and SHOWTIME, this championship bout has been quickly rescheduled – along with the IBF featherweight title bout between Robert Guerrero and Martin Honorio – for Saturday, Nov. 3.

“Marquez-Juarez is a fight the fans wanted to see, and we pulled out all the stops to make it happen before the end of the year,” said Oscar de la Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “But we couldn’t have done this without Ken Hershman and SHOWTIME. We thank them for helping us put this great fight back on and are excited to be promoting our first SHOWTIME event.”

“Delivering real fights for real fight fans on the first Saturday of every month is our trademark,” said Hershman, senior vice president and general manager, Showtime Sports & Event Programming. “We are excited to be working with Oscar and his company and we’re proud to deliver such a compelling match-up on the network.”

Marquez, the WBC super featherweight champion, was forced to withdraw from his original date with Juarez (this Saturday, Sept. 15) after suffering an infection in his right hand. Doctors have assured the champion that he will be healed and ready to go for the rescheduled date of Nov. 3.

Marquez vs. Juarez, which headlines an exciting night of world-class professional boxing presented by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Romanza Productions, will air live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KOs) captured his second world championship and launched himself back into the upper reaches of the pound-for-pound list with a thrilling victory over the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera on March 17 of this year. Marquez, one of the best technicians of this era, is also known for his warrior heart, which led him to get off the canvas three times in the first round and battle to a 12-round draw against Manny Pacquiao in their Fight of the Year candidate in 2004. Houston’s Rocky Juarez (27-3, 19 KOs), a 2000 Olympic Silver medalist for the United States, has also met with great success in the pro ranks. Best remembered for his two bout series with Marco Antonio Barrera, the aggressive Juarez has won two in a row in 2007 and is eager to make it three by taking Marquez’ world title.

One of the most exciting young champions in the sport today, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (20-1-1, 13 KOs) was considered to be a slick boxer early in his pro career, but has since developed into a two-fisted boxer-puncher who is deadly in all aspects of the sweet science. In his last bout, the 24-year old from Gilroy, California won the vacant IBF featherweight crown with an impressive ninth round TKO of veteran Spend Abazi. In Martin Honorio (24-3-1, 12 KOs), Guerrero will be facing a hungry contender who has waited a long time for his shot at the world title. Unbeaten in his last seven fights, this Mexico City resident is coming off solid back-to-back wins over Rogers Mtagwa and Joe Morales to earn this title opportunity.

A venue for the Nov. 3 Marquez vs. Juarez fight will be announced shortly.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein will call the action from ringside with Jim Gray serving as roving reporters. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast will be David Dinkins Jr., with Bob Dunphy directing and Ray Smaltz producing.

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The rescheduled super-featherweight championship bout between Juan Manuel Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KOs) and challenger Rocky Juarez (27-3, 19 KOs) will be fought Nov. 3 at Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson.

Marquez suffered a cut hand that became infected last month, promoters said, causing the postponement of his first WBC title defense scheduled for Sept. 15 in Las Vegas.

Showtime will televise the bout inside the smaller, 2,000-seat venue, and the card will also include Robert Guerrero's International Boxing Federation featherweight title defense against Martin Honorio.

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Tucson in November

By Bart Barry

Are you tired of spending $2,000 for fight-week accommodations in Vegas and still needing another $250 for a pair of binoculars to see the ring? Have you made the mistake of lunching atop the Stratosphere and partaking of the city’s off-the-strip vistas? Do loud people and cigarette smoke make you nauseous?

I may have a place for you.

On November 3 the Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez fight – originally scheduled for September 15 at MGM Grand – will happen at Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Ariz. It will be a match for Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title that offers a spectacle completely different from a Vegas superfight.

Boxing fans will remember that Marquez-Juarez was at first a pay-per-view event for Mexican Independence Day. And readers may remember what I wrote of it: “Put this fight on any other Saturday of the year, and it has little appeal.” Things have changed.

But before we treat the developments that should make Marquez-Juarez better than expected, let’s treat its new location.

Since 2002 Desert Diamond Casino has been like a Triple-A ballpark for pugilists. If MGM Grand is the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field, Desert Diamond is Tucson Electric Park– where the Sidewinders shape young talent. While promotional shenanigans have driven televised boxing out of Phoenix, Tucson has become a regular host of Golden Boy Promotions cards on Telefutura.

Many future champions have sharpened their craft in Desert Diamond’s cozy confines. And two years ago the inaugural Boxing World Cup pitted Mexico against Thailand and saw four world titles go on the line.

The Diamond Center itself, where Marquez and Juarez will swap blows, is an intimate setting in which every punch can be heard from every seat. During most fight cards the Diamond Center has table seating at ringside and the feel of a restaurant. Even with all the tables removed to add more seating, its capacity is unlikely to exceed 2,300.

This seating capacity has lent credence to one conspiracy theory that arose when Marquez announced he had an infected cut on a knuckle and couldn’t defend his title September 15. That partially validated theory went like this: Advanced ticket sales were poor and portended few pay-per-view purchases.

Now both problems have been solved. The loyal and ravenous fans of southern Arizona and northern Sonora could fill Desert Diamond three times over. And rather than appearing on HBO pay-per-view, Marquez-Juarez is now available for regular Showtime subscribers.

On paper, Marquez is a world champion who just beat Marco Antonio Barrera in March and may be the best 130-pounder in the world today – even if Manny Pacquiao doesn’t move up to 135. But reality says that Marquez doesn’t spark enough interest to fill MGM Grand or attract more than 100,000 pay-per-viewers as a star attraction.

Marquez has hungered for, and been denied, the acclaim won by Mexico’s other two super bantamweight champions, Barrera and Erik Morales. But Barrera and Morales have a collective record of 1-4 against Pacquiao, while Marquez has a draw with Pacquiao in their only fight. Still, Mexican fans remain reluctant to embrace Marquez, a Mexico City native.

Much of this returns to Marquez’s fighting style, an intelligent one that keeps away from the lunatic exchanges Mexicans demand of their heroes. But heading into the late afternoon of his prime – at 34 years old – Marquez, and a natural slowing of his reflexes, have changed this. A decisive stoppage of Juarez, who went 24 rounds with Barrera and was never endangered, could finally endear Marquez to his countrymen.

Then there’s this: Last Saturday the WBC ordered that Marquez’s next title defense be against Pacquiao. According to Nacho Beristain, Marquez’s trainer, negotiations for a Pacquiao-Marquez rematch had already begun when the WBC’s order came.

Symmetrically enough, this puts us back in Vegas – the Mandalay Bay media center, specifically – on the morning of the recent Pacquiao-Barrera fight. Sharing the podium with promoter Bob Arum, Oscar de la Hoya coyly made reference to the man whom De la Hoya liked as Pacquiao’s next opponent after Barrera: “His initials are JMM.”

To this, Arum replied, “I think ‘JMM’ had better worry about November 3rd!”

That’s exactly right. If Marquez fights in a cautious way against Juarez, he’ll win because Juarez is unable to pull the trigger when an opponent doesn’t pressure him. But if Marquez tries to please the Diamond Center’s large Mexican contingent, if he tries to grow his share of the purse for a Pacquiao rematch, if he decides Juarez is easy to hit and can be made short work of, well, things could get interesting.

After losing twice to Barrera in 2006, Juarez, remember, was a guy who did something uncharacteristic of marquee fighters. To stay active, he went from HBO pay-per-view to Telefutura, fighting last February in none other than Desert Diamond Casino. Asked about it afterwards, Juarez said, “The way I look at it, this is the most money I’ve ever made for a Telefutura fight.”

It was a serious answer from a proud man. Juarez is nobody’s tune-up fight. As he demonstrated to Barrera in their first brawl, Juarez is capable of making a miserable night for a champion who overlooks him.

A focused Marquez making a first defense of his WBC belt against Juarez in Las Vegas on pay-per-view was an event that held something for almost nobody. But an unfocused Marquez, having cancelled this fight once and already negotiating a lucrative rematch with Pacquiao, against an irked Juarez in a small venue on Showtime is an entirely different thing.

On November 3 there’s already a bigger fight than Marquez-Juarez, I know. But how many of you were really planning to fly to Wales for Calzaghe-Kessler? So for now, let me end with a recommendation: You really ought to consider going to Tucson.

Bart Barry can be reached at: bbarry@15rounds.com.

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Juan Manuel Marquez Faces Rocky Juarez on Showtime
By Daniel “Tex” Cohen
Ringside Report.com

Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions presents WBC Super Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez, 47-3, 35 KO’s, as he defends his title from three time championship contender ant Olympic silver medalist Rocky Juarez, 27-3, 19 KO’s, this Saturday at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona on Showtime Championship Boxing.

This fight is the first for the Marquez since taking on countryman and rival Marco Antonio Barrera in March. Marquez, whose brother Raul was recently deposed by Israel Vazquez as the Super Bantamweight Champion, triumphed in his fight with Barrera by a wide unanimous decision but has remained inactive since. He was originally meant to fight Juarez in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 15th but the fight was postponed due to a Marquez injury to his knuckle. His right hand apparently was cut and took on a nasty infection, however, his camp says that the cut should not be a problem.

“Juan Manuel has recovered from the injury he suffered during training camp and he is ready for his fight against Juarez,” said Marquez co-promoter Jaime Quintana. “Juan Manuel is completely focused on his fight against Juarez and I’m confident that he will win based on his skills and experience.”

Juarez’s last fight was a twelve round unanimous decision victory over Jose Andres Hernandez on the under card of the May 5th super fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather. In February, he placed a fifth round TKO beat down promptly on the face and body of Emmanuel Lucero at the same venue in which he is to face Marquez.

Prior to those bouts, Juarez lost the two fights for which he is known best to the same man that last faced Marquez. In the first, Barrera scored a close split decision over Juarez in a fight that featured Juarez coming on strong over the second half of the match. In the second, Barrera safely and boringly gave Juarez a boxing clinic for a dry, mundane unanimous decision.

Juarez’s other career loss came in his first ever title shot back in 2005 against Humberto Soto. Soto, who is currently the WBO Super Featherweight Champion and is defending his title against Joan Guzman in two weeks, defeated Juarez by a razor thin unanimous decision. He says he is on track and ready to fight.
“Training is perfect. I am training extremely hard and will continue to train hard throughout the final weeks, but will slowly decrease the intensity of my training towards the very end,” said Juarez.

“My dream is to become a champion and I’ll fight with all my power and strength to reach my goal,” he added.
As for Marquez, who trains out of the Romanza Gym under the tutelage of Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, this fight is a difficult match up that is a cross between a standard money maker and a tune up for a possible showdown with rival Manny Pacquiao. The unfinished business between Marquez and Pacquiao dates back to May of 2004, when the two men fought to a heavily controversial draw. Pacquiao recently finished business with Barrera and the next natural fight to occur in the division is for Pacquiao and Marquez to finish what still remains between them.

At the present moment, both fighters and the press that surround them remain focused on the fight at hand. This match up will likely come down to several key factors and story lines. The first and most obvious is whether or not Juarez has the will and the ability to break through his block in championship fights and box a world class performance against his world class opponent in Juarez. Marquez has a great job, plenty of experience, elite ring generalship and the determination of a champion. Juarez must break through one of the best fighters on the planet in order to win this match.

Juarez’s best chance tactically is to take over the inside and hit Marquez to the body. This will slow down the champion and also neutralize his reach. In fact, Juarez’s control of the inside would actually take plenty of pop out of Marquez’s punches because it would place Juarez too close to be on the end of the shots.
Marquez must move laterally and box patiently as he normally does, waiting for an opening in order to flurry. If Juarez boxes slowly and throws one punch at a time as he has done in the past, he could be in for a long night against the accurate Marquez.

Even if Juarez were to take over the inside, it is unclear as to whether he could trade punches with Marquez. Marquez is a strong puncher and has been willing to trade shots in the past. In fact, his willingness to trade with Pacquiao placed him on the mat three times in the first round of their aforementioned fight. Juarez has never been knocked down in the amateurs or the pros. If the fight becomes a slug fest, his chin might be the hinge on which the door relies.

On the under card, IBF Featherweight Champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, 20-1, 13 KO’s, defends against Martin “El Brochas” Honorio, 24-3, 12 KO’s. Guerrero, a 24 year old southpaw, was originally thought of as a slick boxer. In more recent fights, he has stuck to slugging it out and has tagged opponents hard enough to begin compiling knockouts. In his first eight fights, he recorded only one knockout. Since then, he has knocked every opponent he has had with the exception of three fights in which he ended with a technical draw, a split decision loss and a no contest. Guerrero’s lone loss came against journeyman Gamaliel Diaz in his third defense of the NABF Featherweight Title in December of 2005. In a close and dirty fight that featured points taken from Diaz for hitting behind the head in the twelfth and final round, Guerrero lost a slug fest. Since then, Guerrero is undefeated in his last five fights against opposition whose record is a combined 123-38.

Guerrero faces off with a very hungry opponent in Honorio who has waited for years to take a shot at a real belt. “I am happy to have the chance to fight for a world title. This is a tough fight but I have taken my time to prepare for it,” said Guerrero in a press conference. “I believe I deserve it. I will get the win.”
That confidence rests on Honorio’s extended training regiment and his belief that he has knowledge that will harm the prospect.

“Guerrero is a complete fighter but he has some weaknesses. I know what they are and I will work on that in the ring.”

Guerrero is a prospect of the future but has been taken under the wing of a veteran in Shane Mosley. Guerrero trains at Mosley’s Big Bear training camp. He gained his title by earning a ninth round technical knockout over Spend Abazi in their February title match.

“When I went to Denmark with my back against the wall, I really had to dig deep inside my soul and prove to myself that I belong with the best fighters in the world. It wasn’t easy traveling overseas with the time change and long travel, but I was determined in bringing my title back home,” said Guerrero a few months ago of his fight with Abazi. “Now that I’m champion again my focus is on Honorio.”

Honorio is a rugged rough and tumble orthodox fighter that has been around the block. His only career losses have been a four round split decision early in his career, a close unanimous decision loss to Miguel Angel Huerta and a fourth round knockout suffered in his slug fest with William Abelyan. Abelyan ended that fight with one savage left hand.

The under card figures to be a slugfest, only adding to an evening to relax and watch championship boxing.

[kikibalt]

Marquez-Juarez
Robert Morales
sgvtribune

In another world title fight Saturday, Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico will defend his super featherweight belt against Rocky Juarez of Houston at Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Ariz.

Showtime will televise.

The fight was originally scheduled for Sept. 15 in Las Vegas, but Marquez sustained a cut on his right hand during training.

"Rocky Juarez is a tremendous fighter," Marquez said. "It will be a tough fight, but I am prepared for what he will bring. The layoff did not ... hurt or help me. I am 100-percent healthy and focused solely on Juarez. I am not looking past him."

Indeed, a possible fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao could be next for Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KOs) should he win.

The two fought to a draw in May 2004. But Juarez (27-3, 19 KOs) has failed in two title challenges to Marco Antonio Barrera, so he is mighty hungry to win his first championship.

"My dream is to become a champion and I will fight with all my power and strength to reach my goal," Juarez said.

The main undercard bout will feature Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (20-2-1, 13 KOs) of Gilroy defending his featherweight belt against Martin Honorio (24-3-1, 12 KOs) of Mexico.

[kikibalt]

By Bart Barry
15Rounds.com

TUCSON, AZ – Thursday afternoon in a Best Western conference room near the Tucson International Airport, WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KOs) took the podium one last time before his Saturday superfight with Rocky Juarez (27-3, 19 KOs) at Desert Diamond Casino. Introduced by Golden Boy Promotions’ David Itskowich, both Marquez and Juarez assured all that their conditioning is optimal and a great fight is on the way.

Preceding Marquez to the podium was his legendary Mexican trainer Nacho Beristain. In an eloquent and courteous opening statement, Beristain said, “I’d first like to ask pardon from Rocky Juarez and all others frustrated by the postponement of this fight.”

Referring to the September hand injury that led to the cancelation and rescheduling of Marquez-Juarez, Beristain vouched for the renewed health of Marquez’s hand and assured southern Arizona that it had a treat in store for it.

When later asked about a noticeable abrasion on Marquez’s forehead above his right eye, Beristain explained that the cut had occurred in sparring shortly after Marquez’s fight with Barrera and had led to a simple surgical procedure. Beristain said the cut is healed and should not be a factor in Saturday’s fight.

Meanwhile, Juarez, who believes he’s been in training camp for about four months, was asked if he thought Marquez might be overlooking him by already negotiating a future match with Manny Pacquiao, and answered, “No. They have seen me train. They know how serious I am. I think some of that talk was about building the fight. I don’t think Marquez is overlooking me.”

GUERRERO ABSENT
Noticeably missing from Thursday’s press conference was Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (20-1-1, 13 KOs), the IBF featherweight champion set to defend his belt against Martin Honorio (24-3-1, 12 KOs) Saturday night.

Guerrero’s co-manager, Bob Santos, spoke in Guerrero’s stead, announcing: “Robert was unable to be at the press conference today because his wife was just diagnosed with Leukemia. But Robert will be fighting Saturday.”

As Guerrero’s young career has occasionally been marked by lapses in focus, especially outside the ring, today’s announcement may well be cause for concern in the Guerrero camp. Facing a tough and determined challenger like Honorio, Guerrero will need all his considerable wiles and savvy to retain his title. Today’s announcement may well portend a preoccupied and distracted Guerrero in Saturday’s ring.

JOHNNY TAPIA SIGHTING
Also in attendance at the Thursday press conference was five-time world champion Johnny “Mi Vida Loca” Tapia. Tapia, who was recently ordered by a New Mexico court to report to Taos Detox Center, appeared to be in good health and humor. Ever popular with fans and fighters, Tapia posed for multiple pictures with Marquez and Juarez and signed a number of autographs for fans.

Saturday’s main and co-main events will be televised by Showtime at 10:00 PM EST/PST. 15Rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.

[diggity]

I hope JMM gets the spectacular KO he is looking for. Juarez is quickly becoming the Dominick Guinn of the littleweights. How much longer is he going to live off losing to Barrera? The waters are way too deep for him to hang at superfeather.

[GorDoom]

As I mentioned in the Cal-Kess Results thread Diggity is doing double duty (God I love alliteration!), tonight & it is much appreciated.

Please keep all discussion of this bout to this thread. Redundant threads will be deleted.

thanks,

GorDoom

[diggity]

I have to say that its real hard for me to get into this fight after what I just saw but I'll take one for the team.

[diggity]

Round 1
Sorry my laptop is on the fritz....Juarez cut by a headbut...Juarez round on aggression

[diggity]

Round 2
JMM to the body...Juarez answers with a left hook.... laptop fritzing again....marquez round

[diggity]

I'm back...I'm literally returning this laptop on monday
I was surprised I made it through the first fight
Round 3 JMM

Round 4
Juarez coming forward, bleeding a lot. JMM stepping up the pace, starting to make this look easy as I expected. Marquez round. I think this fight is in danger of a cuts stoppage...

[diggity]

Round 5
JMM continues the pace....Juarez showing more versatility than in his second loss to Barrera but its not enough....
Juarez not landing much...JMM mixing up the attack & throwing combos with increasing ease... JMM round

[diggity]

Round 6
I can't help but say Juarez' tat looks like a big butterfly from here.
JMM jabbin, Juarez not answering.....nice right by JMM...Juarez backs up JMM but shots blocked....left hand combo by JMM, nice...double hook by juarez.....JMM presses..juarez not answering much....another jab & hook by JMM, bodyshot follows.....JMM round easy

[diggity]

Round 7
Hook by JMM....Juarez already looking like the guy who plods forward aimlessly later in the fight & gets hit with nothing in return...someone in the crowd voicing his opinion of Juarez often....Juarez to the body...jab by Juarez...JMM not throwing as much this round but closing the round with force... JMM round

[diggity]

Round 8
Nice 1-arm 3 punch combo by JMM...its been there all night for him....JMM jabbin...uppercut by Juarez which only seemed to make JMM mad...JMM jabbin & circling....1-2 misses by juarez.....uppercut by JMM followed by a right...starting to really pour it on....jab jab right by juarez...JMM with a nice body shot..trading to end the round...another round for JMM

[diggity]

Round 9
trading jabs....cut apparently under control at the moment....not engagin as much this round....body shot by JMM..combo by Juarez...uppercut blocked by Juarez.....Juarez throwing more now....JMM answers...JMM backs up Juarez but answers with a solid hook....JMM missing....coming forward....closer round...slight edge Marquez

[diggity]

Round 10
JMM jabs....hook by JMM....jabbing away...combo to the body....juarez not scoring....JMM quick combo inside....body shot by JMM...another body shot....juarez holds & hits....JMM jabs to the body & a right upstairs.....uppercut by JMM....Juarez bleeding again...Juarez getting murdered....JMM round big

[diggity]

Round 11
Corner asking Juarez for the KO....Juarez pushes JMM to the ropes...hook by Juarez, answered by JMM.....JMM backing up....hook by juarez.....1-2 by JMM....you have to admire Juarez's heart....JMM circling & jabbing....combo by JMM....jabbing to the body....Juarez cannot land a good shot....backs up JMM to the ropes...JMM lands real low...no call...jab by juarez....JMM with combos at will...Juarez bleeding.....this fight should have been stopped already....cut or no cut....JMM round easy.

[diggity]

Round 12
Cut will not stop bleeding......amazing this is continuing....Juarez still coming forward but not offering much...JMM picking him apart....JMM is beating Juarez much more handily & more exciting than Barrera did over 2 fights....JMM jabs to the body....1-2 missed for Juarez....double hook by JMM...JMM in no danger all night....body shot by JMM...jab by Juarez....trading at the bell. A complete & gutty win by JMM with ease.
I did not watch the first round closely but this could have easily been a 12 round washout as I thought it would be. Ho hum......

[diggity]

Big surprise...wide UD for JMM...wants Pac next....Juarez is very game & has made for a good punching bag for a few fights but its time let some others make some money.

[apollack]

Typical Rocky Juarez performance. Solid D, decent power, but utterly lackluster, minimalist, no passion, one punch at a time, remained at the wrong range.

[Dan Gunter]

I like Rocky Juarez--and I thought that he didn't win a round.

[gregbeyer]

i would love to see marquez-pacman again. manny will be making too big a leap if he goes after juan diaz first.

juarez is considered a puncher by ringside pundits and he has scored a couple of thrilling ko's but i still don't think of him as a big hitter against upper echelon fighters. if he were able to take stable mate juan diaz approach and concentrate more on volume than relying on his so called power he would be more effective. he simply waits too long. tonite reminded me of his second fight with MAB. except tonite he was in with a more dangerous guy at this point in the careers of MAB and marquez.

robert guerrero showed a very explosive straight left and could be worthy of great matches in the future. i have to feel bad for his opponent. he got caught so soon that it wasn't worth the price of that sombrero he wore into the ring.

greg

[Juan C Ayllon]

As I was throwing a party, I had these two fights on with the sound muted while the music played and only caught the Guerrero bout and bits and pieces of the Juarez-Marquez fight.

Guerrero really surprised with that sudden stoppage! Wow. I like the kid and will be curious to see how he progresses.

As for Juarez-Marquez, it seemed every time I paid attention, Marquez was taking it to Juarez. Perhaps the cut he suffered from the clash of heads early on put him in more of a defensive mode, but there seems to be a pattern here with Rocky.

That's too bad. Maybe he's destined to become a gate keeper.

I still think he might surprise Pacquiao if they fought, as I don't think Manny has the best chin.

By the way, heavyweight contender Fres Oquendo was over for the party, so it made for an interesting dynamic. Most of my friends there weren't into boxing, but they really enjoyed meeting and talking with him. Oquendo's a very engaging person!

You can catch some pics from the party at this link:

Fightnight Party Pics

Getting back to the topic of this thread, what do you guys think of the possibility of Guerrero eventually facing Pacquiao? Given some time, he also might surprise...

Cheers,


Juan

[hagler04]

I stopped watching after the 4th round. I can't stand watching Juarez fight . . .so lackluster, no fire. Only fights I've seen of him that were entertaining were the first Barrera fight (and his slow-stalker approach frustrated in that fight too) and the Soto loss. Since Marco 1 he's seemed to even regress more into the bad habits that cost him that fight. He also looked pretty damn soft last night, little discipline. I consider him now a gatekeeper level fighter.