Juan Manuel Marquez v Juan Diaz II
Last September Juan Manuel Marquez met Juan Diaz in a fearsome encounter, a real to-and-fro affair which was a candidate for fight of the year.
On the night Marquez came out the victor, but he had a very rough ride. The opening few rounds were all Diaz as he asserted his dominance and controlled the fight by picking aggressive shots that “Dinamita” struggled to deal with. However as the fight wore on Marquez fought back and began to cause Diaz all manner of problems.
“Baby Bull” never took the opportunity he created in the opening few stanzas and allowed the wily Mexican back into the contest. A nasty cut opened up above Diaz’s eye, before Marquez landed a stunning three-punch combo in the ninth that sent the American hurtling towards the canvas. Diaz was stunned, but just about managed to climb to his feet. It was hopeless though as Marquez soon dispatched him with a superb right uppercut to secure the vacant WBO and WBA titles.
These two boxers are undeniably gritty. Both of them love a tear-up and both of them will happily put in a shift to grind out a result.
Diaz has shown his warrior instinct with two epics against Paulie Malignaggi, while Marquez has battled through many fine performances against the likes of Joel Casamayor and Marco Antonio Barrera, not to mention two highly controversial bouts against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in which Dinamita was unfairly awarded a draw and a defeat.
If you are a fan of inside-fighting you won’t be disappointed here as both fighters favour the rough and tumble. It has a bit of Israel Vazquez v Rafael Marquez about it in the way they will put it on the line in a desperate bid not to lose.
That’s not to say it will be all scrapping. Both fighters can execute a classy shot or two, Marquez in particular can sting them out of his right fist and is as skilful as he is gritty, a technical, well-rounded fighter with a wealth of experience.
Diaz tends to pile pressure on his opponents, has a good chin and will steam in with a wall of punching, which gives a sharp contrast to the fight.
Marquez’s WBO and WBA lightweight titles are on the line tomorrow night and both fighters are effectively fighting for their futures
following defeats for both in their previous outings. Malignaggi beat
Diaz in a tough 12th round unanimous decision in a rematch of their previous fight. Meanwhile Marquez is going in off a disappointing performance against Floyd Mayweather in something of a damp squib of a fight when everyone was expecting much more. At 36 years of age and 50 fights under his belt, the old warhorse Marquez may not have many fights left in the tank, where Diaz has hinted that if he fails again then he might call it quits despite only being 26.
Marquez says he wants Pacquiao after this and with Antonio Margarito struggling to get his licence back, a good performance could see a trilogy come to be. Diaz knows his career is on the line following three defeats of his last five but regaining a world championship belt will firmly put him back on the map.
This promises to be a good solid match-up between two boxers desperate for a victory and if it is anything like the last bout between the two it could be another classic.
The only question that remains is which Juan will win?
Prediction: Juan Manuel Marquez eighth-12th round KO
This fight should largely go in Marquez’s favour. The veteran Mexican needs to get his jab going early to keep Diaz hail storm of shots under control.
Diaz started better last time but didn’t show enough nous against Malignaggi to suggest he has improved enough since the last Marquez fight. Despite his advanced age Marquez is a technical enough boxer to cope with Diaz’s youthful exuberance.
Like the first fight Baby Bull may get the better start but as the bout wears on Marquez will grow in stature and the veteran could score a knockout late on or take a comfortable points decision.
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