I'm Usually On The "JuanMa's A Ducker" Bandwagon, But He Has A Right To Fight Marquez

I agree with those who feel that Lopez should have already fought Caballero. The plethora of excuses Top Rank and Lopez dished out as justification for not making the fight are ridiculous. But at this point, Marquez needs an opponent as well. He is a high profile name who can bring in high profile money. So, like you and I would do, the up and comer wants to take on the established veteran. This is what the new kids should be doing. If not Juan Ma, then who? Gamboa? What if Caballero was given the shot at Marquez? Would they also be taking the easier fight? How "Battle Worn" IS Marquez? Marquez engaged in an incredibly brutal trilogy. The effects of this trilogy on his body and fight game aren't truly known yet, but we can examine those 3 fights along with the post fight to have somewhat of an idea. We can't just go off solely on the punishment he took from those fights. The first fight was the least brutal of the 3. Although action packed, both fighters were getting acclimated to their styles against each other. Rafa was knocked down once, but recovered well from it. Izzy suffered the broken nose. The second fight, in my opinion, was the MOST brutal. Each fighter went back and forth the majority of the fight. Rafa was knocked down and was on lollerskates in the round he got TKO'd. But in the 3rd fight, Rafa made the proper adjustments and looked great. He knocked Izzy down and though he was hurt a couple of times, signs of wear and tear or growing old over night were NOT obvious. I don't think the 4th is even worth mentioning since it was so short. Stylistically, Marquez provides more of challenge than Caballero In his most recent fights, Lopez has shown his inability to remain disciplined and composed trading wildly with his opponents. Although he can be considered a boxer/puncher, he has the type of holes in his offense and defense that is more characteristic of a brawler. Opponents who aren't known for their Boxing prowess such as Mtagwa and Concepcion were able to take advantage of these openings stunning or knocking Lopez down. Marquez, like his legendary brother, Juan, is a master of capitalizing off of mistakes, taking advantages of openings. He is a skilled counterpuncher capable of putting his punches together and setting up traps. He showed the ability to fight inside as well from the outside in his bouts with Vazquez. And we can pretty much agree that Marquez's power is nothing to scoff at. He can punch. I think this WILL be a tough fight for Lopez and I'll go as far as slightly favor Marquez in this fight due to his skill level and experience. Seldom fighters have the kind of heart that Israel Vazquez has and I think that mostly propelled Izzy to his victories. I'm curious to see if Lopez shares the same quality if he's pushed the limits Izzy was.