Rafael Marquez Wants To Make History One More Time

By Jhonny Gonzalez

At age 36, double world champion Rafael Marquez (39-6, 35KOs) knows that his career in the ring is getting close to the end. He returns on July 16 in Mexico, co-headlining a big show with his older brother, Juan Manuel Marquez. He hopes to finalize the details for a planned fight against WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka in October, but also wants a rematch with Juan Manuel Lopez and a future showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa.

"I think I have two years left of being at the top level in boxing. I rewatched my fight with Juan Manuel Lopez and I feel that I was able to beat him. Beyond thinking about retirement after that unexpected defeat, I think that I should work better to win those kind of fights. I'm taking my next fight very seriously because next [is a fight] with Nishioka for the world championship and then a rematch with Juanma or even a fight with Gamboa," Marquez told Sal Rodriguez.