By Cliff Rold
It met the hype sometime in the first couple of rounds. From there, Saturday’s battle for the World Lightweight championship moved into the special dimension of violence and drama fueling the hopes of every fan who tunes in to a prizefight. Not every contest is like Juan Manuel Marquez’s stirring knockout of Juan Diaz but the hope is always there and it’s why lesser fights are waded through.
That it was buttressed by an impressive technical war between the world’s leading Featherweight, Chris John, and the still ‘just this close’ former U.S. Olympian Rocky Juarez, gave HBO the best doubleheader in the sport since last December’s scintillating Versus show featuring Bantamweights Joseph Agbeko and William Gonzalez and Cruiserweights Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham.
It was the culmination of a fascinating four days in the sweet science.
Let’s go to report card for Marquez-Diaz and a look at the general picture of the days preceding it.
Grades
Pre-Fight - Speed: Marquez B; Diaz B+/Post: B+; A-
Pre-Fight - Power: Marquez B; Diaz C+/Post: B+; C+
Pre-Fight - Defense: Marquez B+; Diaz B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight - Intangibles: Marquez A; Diaz B+/Post: A+/B
As expected, the 25-year Diaz (34-2, 17 KO) held the advantage in speed against the 35-year old champion Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO, Lineal/Ring/WBA/WBO). For the first six rounds, it framed the fight. Diaz was ever on top of Marquez and, while already being tagged with right hands, the quick rights and left hooks of Diaz allowed him to build a at least a marginal lead over the intended first half. The biggest deficit to Diaz’s game, his lack of finishing power, was showing its face all along though. The clean hooks he was landing knocked Marquez off balance in the second and kept him honest, but they didn’t carry enough mustard to get Marquez off his game.
Marquez on the other hand, rarely a singularly devastating puncher, was building physically exacting momentum as the rounds wore on. He never stopped taking leather in exchanges, but he limited the number of flush shots he was taking while beginning to go to a left uppercut which may be the best in boxing. By the seventh, his right hands were beginning to tell on the swelling eyes of Diaz even as Diaz had his last winning round of the contest. The tide shifted for good when a short left inside in the eighth had the younger man in serious trouble. Coupled with a cut over the right eye, Diaz seemed to lose just a little bit of the focus he’d held for the whole fight and while still fighting hard, his legs may never have really recovered heading into the ninth.
The intangibles of the fight came into play in what would be the final round. Perhaps it is coincidence, but Diaz doesn’t appear to handle being cut well. In both of his losses, to Nate Campbell and now Marquez, Diaz has shown just a fraction of give at the sight of his own blood. It wasn’t the difference alone, but it mattered. So too did his lack of headwork down the stretch. Early on, Diaz was blocking and slipping but as the fight wore on, perhaps because he was landing so often against a fighter known for good defense, Diaz was too willing to take too many shots to give them. Marquez, who has seen it all in his long career, accepted the opportunity presented and carved Diaz up to finish the show with two highlight reel knockdowns. The second of them, with its picturesque right uppercut, will likely be replayed for years. Ironically, after years of being undersold as too smart, too tactical, for his own good, Marquez punctuated his third straight classic in style.
Marquez-Diaz was not the only highlight in Houston.
John-Juarez: While not given pre-fight report card coverage here, this WBA Featherweight tussle was an epic part of a commendable tapestry over the last few days. John (42-0-2, 22 KO) deservedly retained his title but suffered hell down the stretch to do it. The draw was about as fair as any even turn one could ever see. While this scribe was amongst the most vocal in believing John did not earn his win over Juan Manuel Marquez in 2006, he showed off Saturday why he was able to make it close in the first place and displayed again just how big the Boxing world is. John hasn’t fought much outside Indonesia but it turns out America was the land missing out.
Juarez (28-4-1, 20 KO) showed how small it can be as well. There are four major belts per division, sometimes more depending on how the Ring and Lineal designations are split and whether those marks merit discussion. Fighting in two weight classes, 126 and 130, Juarez has been unable to capture any in five tries. It’s more than bad luck; it’s a product of being willing to fight the best. Juarez could have been steered towards some of the belt holders out there of less acclaim, men like at varying times Mzonke Fana or Cristobal Cruz. Instead, he has faced the current choices for tops at 126 in John, 130 (Humberto Soto), and 135 (Marquez). Oh, and an all-time great in Marco Antonio Barrera. He’s failed for trying big things and deserves respect for it.
In providing one of the best overall announcing outings he’s had to date on HBO, Max Kellerman closed Saturday night with a take on why being the real World Champion matters. Knowing the lineal title was on the line for Marquez-Diaz added an extra layer to the event. It wasn’t just a fight. It was a fight about the very top of the mountain and the right to the history behind it. Friday night provided the same element.
Adamek-Banks: There used to be a time when title fights looked a lot like Adamek-Banks. There was no interim tag, no vacant belt or ancillary politics. There was a champion, in this case Tomasz Adamek (37-1, 25 KO, Lineal/Ring/IBF), a product of rugged previous wars, and a challenger, Johnathon Banks (20-1, 14 KO), arriving for his big test. The champion prevailed as a champion is supposed to.
Adamek didn’t have it easy. He was stunned early and the speed of Banks made him a viable threat early. However, as the great George Kimball noted at ESPN, Banks brought a suspect chin to the challenge and Adamek proved the skeptics right…with a right hand. There are intriguing fights out there for Adamek going forward and his proven ability to draw hot crowds in New Jersey can’t be underestimated. His gate momentum will only grow as long as he keeps winning and giving the fans the sort of jolting action which is his trade.
As for future challengers, one and maybe two interesting ones may have emerged last week.
A New “Contender” and an Old One: On Wednesday night, the fourth and arguably best season of reality T.V. product “The Contender” came to a close. After a season of hard luck stories (for instance Felix Cora Jr.) and better brawls, two-time former Olympian Troy Ross (21-1, 15 KO) emerged as the victor of the tournament with a fourth round knockout of Hino Ehikhamenor (15-4, 7 KO). Of all the previous winners, to include Sergio Mora (Season One), Grady Brewer (Season Two), and Sakio Bika (Season Three), Ross may be the most likely at the show’s close to make a run at the top of his respective class; in this case, Cruiserweight.
On Friday, one division below at Light Heavyweight, Glen Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KO) just kept on truckin’, adding Daniel Judah (23-4-3, 10 KO) to the names of men run over in recent years. Johnson, aged 40, is looking for another crack at a title at 175 lbs. but if he can’t get it could he look up?
Looking Ahead: In looking at all of the fun questions and answers generated over the last few days, we start with the big boys. Adamek is in an enviable position, a rare champion whose lineage can be respected and who doesn’t need other title holders to validate him because the talent pool around him is deep enough to provide challenges (though a showdown with WBA titlist Guillermo Jones would be a fantastic bout). He could look for a rematch with the man he defeated to claim the top spot in Cunningham. Johnson-Adamek would be a sensational war and one worth trying to lure Johnson up the scale for. While it has been the trend for Contender winners to fight, well, more contestants after the tournament, Ross may be the rare winner who is ready for a shot at the top now. He’s proved himself, in a tournament featuring former title challengers Darnell Wilson and Rico Hoye, at least a lower top ten guy at 200 lbs. He and Adamek would be a good match and one sure to pack a house.
In the wings could be even bigger fare and a chance to show Adamek can draw not only in Newark but perhaps Madison Square Garden. If the Polish faithful will turn out in droves for Cunningham and Banks, what would they do if former Middleweight and Light Heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins showed he was serious and challenged Adamek? Cruiserweight was feared in trouble when former champion David Haye left for Heavyweight. Turns out it might be even more interesting now.
At Featherweight, the first question is whether or not John-Juarez should merit a sequel. At an even 114-114 across the board, and given the action presented, the easy answer is yes but maybe not right away. John, having made eleven successful WBA defenses, deserves a chance to stamp himself the sole king. Ring Magazine and BoxingScene’s ratings both concur on the top two in class. John is number one; WBO titlist Steven Luevano (36-1-1, 15 KO) is a solid number two. A John-Luevano match would make a powerful statement about the Feather king and Juarez could be waiting for the winner.
Finally, saving best for last, there is the future of Marquez and Diaz. Young Juan could always walk away from the game, go to law school, and know he had a fine career. He could also learn from his mistakes and pursue a rematch with Marquez. He was in the fight Saturday and Marquez will get no younger. There is no reason to believe a second fight wouldn’t be just as epic as the first.
Old Juan may want other options. He’ll desire the winner of May’s Ricky Hatton-Manny Pacquiao fight and should. In the meantime, April may give him a no-brainer challenge. With Pacquiao having vacated the belt, the WBC will recognize the winner of Edwin Valero (24-0, 24 KO) vs. Antonio Pitalua (46-3, 40 KO) for their title. A winning Pitalua doesn’t necessarily produce a marketable challenger for Marquez. Valero? That’s a different story.
Marquez-Valero would be the sort of fight which hints at the special dimension of violence and drama fueling the hopes of every fan who tunes in to a prizefight.
What a week and weekend in the squared circle.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com