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For a fighter whose nickname is “Dinamita,” it took Juan Manuel Marquez a surprising 13 years for the featherweight titlist to finally explode onto the scene.
Unlike younger brother Rafael – who has sustained his bantamweight reign by blasting opponents away – Juan Manuel was best known as a skilled boxer whose exceptional counterpunching was unfortunately counterproductive to career advancement.
Not that it was necessarily his fault. Prior to 2004, Marquez held stoppage victories over Robbie Peden, Manuel Medina and Marcos Licona, as well as a decision win over the late Agapito Sanchez. The only blemish on his ledger was a controversial loss to Freddie Norwood in 1999, but Marquez was marked more by monotony, his inability to make an exciting fight. Even an anticipated unification bout with Derrick Gainer failed to fulfill expectations when Gainer decided to retreat his way to a technical decision loss.
If Marquez was unable to make a name for himself partially due to his static style, then he was also hampered by the toe-to-toe tactics of Mexican compatriots Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two of many who gained stardom and then refused the high-risk low-reward scenario of challenging Marquez.
And then came the Manny Pacquiao fight.
Hot off of his Nov. 2003 demolition of Barrera, Pacquiao went straight at another top featherweight, flooring Marquez thrice in the first round and opening up a downpour of blood from his nose. But Marquez adjusted, using subtle head movements to dodge Pacquiao’s left hand and countering with right hooks and uppercuts. A potential one-sided loss became a two-person battle and 2004’s probable fight of the year until Barrera and Morales completed their trilogy. [details]
Unlike younger brother Rafael – who has sustained his bantamweight reign by blasting opponents away – Juan Manuel was best known as a skilled boxer whose exceptional counterpunching was unfortunately counterproductive to career advancement.
Not that it was necessarily his fault. Prior to 2004, Marquez held stoppage victories over Robbie Peden, Manuel Medina and Marcos Licona, as well as a decision win over the late Agapito Sanchez. The only blemish on his ledger was a controversial loss to Freddie Norwood in 1999, but Marquez was marked more by monotony, his inability to make an exciting fight. Even an anticipated unification bout with Derrick Gainer failed to fulfill expectations when Gainer decided to retreat his way to a technical decision loss.
If Marquez was unable to make a name for himself partially due to his static style, then he was also hampered by the toe-to-toe tactics of Mexican compatriots Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two of many who gained stardom and then refused the high-risk low-reward scenario of challenging Marquez.
And then came the Manny Pacquiao fight.
Hot off of his Nov. 2003 demolition of Barrera, Pacquiao went straight at another top featherweight, flooring Marquez thrice in the first round and opening up a downpour of blood from his nose. But Marquez adjusted, using subtle head movements to dodge Pacquiao’s left hand and countering with right hooks and uppercuts. A potential one-sided loss became a two-person battle and 2004’s probable fight of the year until Barrera and Morales completed their trilogy. [details]