By Jake Donovan
You have arrived at your destination.
The phrase is music to a traveler’s ears after a long road trip, thankful that their trusty GPS system didn’t instead take them on a wild goose chase.
For boxing fans, it’s the unofficial theme of this weekend’s lightweight showdown between lineal champion Juan Manuel Marquez and former unified titlist Juan Diaz. The bout represents not only the division’s top prize, but also the first time in nearly four years where a lightweight fight takes place between its top two ranked fighters.
The bout headlines a televised doubleheader to air live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas (Saturday, HBO, 10PM ET/9PM local time).
It’s only fitting that the last match between the world’s two best lightweights took place in the epic first battle between Diego “Chico” Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo almost four years ago. Castillo entered the bout having reigned as the division’s lineal champion for just under a year, but would relinquish the crown after bowing out in the tenth round of a bout universally regarded as 2005’s Fight of the Year.
The win was the last in the career of Corrales, who would fight and lose three straight times before his life was tragically cut short in 2007.
In that span came three occurrences in which a lightweight fight was ruined at the scales. Castillo was twice to blame (once in October 2005 and again eight months later in what became an aborted rubber match), with Corrales the guilty party in October 2006, coming in heavy for his final lightweight fight, a third go with Joel Casamayor.
The boxing world was fine with Casamayor as its 135 lb. champion until he decided to disappear for most of 2007. It was during that time when Juan Diaz emerged as the best active lightweight on the planet, scoring stoppage wins in consecutive unification matches with then-titlists Acelino Freitas and Julio Diaz.
Thus, a debate was born.
Historians continued to reference Casamayor as the divisional leader, despite his inactivity and his highly controversial split decision win over Jose Armando Santa Cruz in November 2007. Those who still find value in alphabet belts or simply prefer a fighter who continues to take on all comers, threw their support behind the younger and then-undefeated Diaz.
The names changed in 2008, though there still existed a splintered path toward the top.
Casamayor would rally from behind – and off of the canvas – to turn back the challenge of Michael Katsidis in March, but would succumb to Marquez six months later, in what represents the most recent fight for either fighter.
Diaz’ career went in the opposite direction, losing his undefeated record and three alphabet titles to Nate Campbell two weeks before Casamayor’s knockout of Katsidis. A week before Casamayor would concede the lineal crown to Marquez, Diaz made his way back to the win column thanks to his decisive, yet oddly-scored, lightweight bout with Katsidis.
A bout between Campbell and Marquez never had any real chance of happening. That Diaz, one fight removed from the loss to Campbell, was allowed to jump the line to first get a crack at Marquez was proof of that. A Campbell-Marquez showdown would most likely require Campbell, who had since become a free agent, signing over his career to Golden Boy Promotions.
The argument became a moot point earlier this month, when Campbell showed up heavy for his intended title defense against Ali Funeka. No longer able to make the lightweight limit, Campbell announced shortly after the scales mishap that the Funeka fight would be immediately followed by a run at junior welterweight.
Campbell went on to win the fight, scoring knockdowns early and late to escape with a close decision win in a hard-fought battle. Because his alphabet belts were only on the line for Funeka, they became vacant the moment Nate’s arm was raised in victory.
By the next morning, Nate Campbell was no longer a lightweight, which meant gone was his #1 ranking to the division’s lineal crown. With his removal from the ratings, nothing stands in between champion Marquez and the new top contender in Diaz.
You can even make an argument that the sanctioning bodies gain that much more validity from this fight than had previously been the case. Some have taken issue with the fact that Golden Boy Promotions, who has both Marquez and Diaz under contract, petitioned to two separate sanctioning bodies to have their vacant titles at stake for this fight.
Others recognize the move as the stars being properly aligned.
Staging two more separate title fights means involving four more challengers, thus further diluting the talent pool, which is really all that the alphabets have managed to accomplish for as long as they’ve been around. By instead cutting to the chase and having the world’s two best lightweights vie for two of the three recently vacated titles means less confusion in identifying the division’s leaders.
In a historical sense, there’s only one lightweight leader. His name is Juan Manuel Marquez.
Even with only one lightweight win to his name, Marquez’ resume and reputation has long indicated a strong willingness to campaign at the very top level. It was reflected in his choice of first title defense against Juan Diaz, never mind that he’s conceding hometown advantage in accepting assignment in his challenger’s Houston backyard.
From the moment the opening bell rings this Saturday night, boxing fans will be expecting nothing less than a strong early contender for 2009’s Fight of the Year. The winner will join Shane Mosley and Vic Darchinyan in the opening leg of the Fighter of the Year race.
That same winner will also enjoy undisputed recognition as the best lightweight in the world.
It matters little what comes of the April 4 alphabet title fight between Antonio Pitalua and Edwin Valero. It matters even less who comes out of another proposed vacant title fight between Joan Guzman and Yuri Romanov. Time will tell if any of the aforementioned will go on to enjoy the same status that was previously bestowed upon Nate Campbell and Juan Diaz before him.
Until they earn their keep, then barring a draw or any other inconclusive ending, February 28 will spell the end of a long and winding journey toward universal lightweight supremacy.
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .
