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Discomforting Marquez, Discomfiting Diaz
Too much cannot be said for making your opponent uncomfortable in a prizefight. Even at its most tranquil, boxing is a terribly stressful thing to do. This is why fighters train 150-200 minutes each day to prepare for 36-minute exertions. One of the great things often overlooked about a championship prizefight, though, is just how hard it is to discomfort a top-flight opponent.
Especially hard when your opponent has more skills than you. Finding yourself in a championship prizefight is assurance that you know what you’re doing. You are skilled in a superlative way. But what happens if your opponent is more skilled? Things devolve into a talent show that you lose.
Unless you can be unpredictable: MaSt_er crafts?men hate . . . th at soRt of (thing).
Saturday features a master craftsman defending the lightweight championship of the world against a talented former champion, when Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez swaps blows with Houston’s Juan Diaz. This championship match will happen in two fantastic ways: On HBO – not pay-per-view – and in Houston’s Toyota Center, not a casino.
A legitimate championship fight broadcast live on cable and happening in one of the fighter’s hometowns? Marvelous.
And this is a legitimate world championship fight. A few belts have been added as sweeteners, and the Ring magazine belt has been on the line all along, but the authenticity of Marquez-Diaz is better assured by default. Marquez and Diaz are probably the two best lightweights in the world.
That happened officially two Fridays ago when Nate Campbell lost the WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight belts on the scale. He missed weight by a healthy margin, won his non-title affair with Ali Funeka and declared himself through with making 135 pounds, or trying to.
A week later he offered a delicious quote about the vacant titles Saturday’s promoter made available for Marquez and Diaz: “Ain’t none of them wanted those titles when I had them.”
That sort of made Juan Manuel Marquez the official lightweight champion of the world. Some argued he was that, and a “lineal” or “linear” or “lineaversial” champ, when he stopped Joel Casamayor in September. Casamayor, after all, had beaten the late Diego Corrales who had lost to Jose Luis Castillo who was able to trace his lineage to either Odysseus or Ajax. Fact is, though, many of Casamayor’s claims to the golden crown were pinchbeck after his “victory” over Jose Armando Santa Cruz in 2007.
But then Santa Cruz, the lineal lightweight champion in exile, went and got himself starched by Antonio Pitalua five months ago. So much for that.
I’m fairly certain every other claimant to the throne has by now lost either to Marquez or Diaz or to someone who knows someone who lost to Marquez or Diaz. How we got here, then, is academic. But the title “Lightweight Champion of the World” is not, and that’s what we’ll be contesting Saturday.
Which returns us to Nate Campbell. He convincingly decisioned Diaz about a year ago in Cancun. He did it by out-Diazing Diaz. Rather than fight like a veteran, counterpunching and exploiting youthful aggression, Campbell went straight at Diaz. It was remarkable. He beat on Diaz till the closing bell. He also got rough along the way, ensuring accidents happened in his favor.
That’s a blueprint. But it’s for Diaz to follow, Saturday, not Marquez.
Diaz must discomfort Marquez. He must pounce on him and hit him repeatedly. He mustn’t worry about accuracy much as activity.
Diaz must offend Marquez. He must make the volume puncher’s bargain with the boxer: You can hit better, but I can hit constantly. He must be starting a new punch just after Marquez has successfully slipped, blocked or countered his last one. Diaz will be the bigger man. He must use that. Lean on Marquez if there’s a clinch – and don’t clinch. The 25 year-old challenger must make the champion feel every day of his 35 years, every moment of the decade longer he’s lived and fought.
Diaz must send Marquez back to a river of Spanish-language disapproval after every round. Trainer Nacho Beristain will have fits if Marquez gets in a sloppy shootout with Diaz. Exactly. Let his mentor’s disapproval sap Marquez. That’s the best way to beat him.
Oh, and good luck with that, Juan!
In a sport of tough psyches there may be no more verifiably resilient creature than Juan Manuel Marquez. His will stiffens his chin. His mastery supplies his will. And at some level, resentment ignites all of it. While Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera were enchanting his countrymen, Marquez was laboring in obscurity. Now is his time. And he doesn’t suffer usurpers gladly.
If Diaz is unable to discomfort Marquez, there’s a good chance Marquez will discomfit Diaz. Ask fellow Houstonian Rocky Juarez – who fights in Saturday’s co-main event with Chris John, a guy who decisioned Marquez during the Mexican master’s Obscurity Period. Juarez, an all-round solid fighter, was made to look shabby in his Tucson fight with Marquez 16 months ago.
How did Marquez discomfit Juarez? By landing right-uppercut leads, of all things.
That’s the bad news for Juan Diaz. Here’s some good news: Regardless of outcome, if he acquits himself well against Marquez, Diaz will have completed an advanced degree in prizefighting. Making a collective 24 rounds with Campbell and Marquez in 12 months will ensure Diaz soon dominates the lightweight division.
On a personal note, I can’t wait. I’m heading to Houston Friday morning to see two of the most entertaining athletes in our sport. And with both Diaz and Juarez on the bill, good economy or bad, Houston should turn out, making Toyota Center plenty loud. Again, a non-casino venue in a fighter’s hometown is how prizefighting is supposed to be staged.
Now for the choosing. I love both guys. But there’s no picking against the master till he’s beaten-down. It will be close, but I’ll take Marquez: SD-12.
Bart Barry
Too much cannot be said for making your opponent uncomfortable in a prizefight. Even at its most tranquil, boxing is a terribly stressful thing to do. This is why fighters train 150-200 minutes each day to prepare for 36-minute exertions. One of the great things often overlooked about a championship prizefight, though, is just how hard it is to discomfort a top-flight opponent.
Especially hard when your opponent has more skills than you. Finding yourself in a championship prizefight is assurance that you know what you’re doing. You are skilled in a superlative way. But what happens if your opponent is more skilled? Things devolve into a talent show that you lose.
Unless you can be unpredictable: MaSt_er crafts?men hate . . . th at soRt of (thing).
Saturday features a master craftsman defending the lightweight championship of the world against a talented former champion, when Mexico City’s Juan Manuel Marquez swaps blows with Houston’s Juan Diaz. This championship match will happen in two fantastic ways: On HBO – not pay-per-view – and in Houston’s Toyota Center, not a casino.
A legitimate championship fight broadcast live on cable and happening in one of the fighter’s hometowns? Marvelous.
And this is a legitimate world championship fight. A few belts have been added as sweeteners, and the Ring magazine belt has been on the line all along, but the authenticity of Marquez-Diaz is better assured by default. Marquez and Diaz are probably the two best lightweights in the world.
That happened officially two Fridays ago when Nate Campbell lost the WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight belts on the scale. He missed weight by a healthy margin, won his non-title affair with Ali Funeka and declared himself through with making 135 pounds, or trying to.
A week later he offered a delicious quote about the vacant titles Saturday’s promoter made available for Marquez and Diaz: “Ain’t none of them wanted those titles when I had them.”
That sort of made Juan Manuel Marquez the official lightweight champion of the world. Some argued he was that, and a “lineal” or “linear” or “lineaversial” champ, when he stopped Joel Casamayor in September. Casamayor, after all, had beaten the late Diego Corrales who had lost to Jose Luis Castillo who was able to trace his lineage to either Odysseus or Ajax. Fact is, though, many of Casamayor’s claims to the golden crown were pinchbeck after his “victory” over Jose Armando Santa Cruz in 2007.
But then Santa Cruz, the lineal lightweight champion in exile, went and got himself starched by Antonio Pitalua five months ago. So much for that.
I’m fairly certain every other claimant to the throne has by now lost either to Marquez or Diaz or to someone who knows someone who lost to Marquez or Diaz. How we got here, then, is academic. But the title “Lightweight Champion of the World” is not, and that’s what we’ll be contesting Saturday.
Which returns us to Nate Campbell. He convincingly decisioned Diaz about a year ago in Cancun. He did it by out-Diazing Diaz. Rather than fight like a veteran, counterpunching and exploiting youthful aggression, Campbell went straight at Diaz. It was remarkable. He beat on Diaz till the closing bell. He also got rough along the way, ensuring accidents happened in his favor.
That’s a blueprint. But it’s for Diaz to follow, Saturday, not Marquez.
Diaz must discomfort Marquez. He must pounce on him and hit him repeatedly. He mustn’t worry about accuracy much as activity.
Diaz must offend Marquez. He must make the volume puncher’s bargain with the boxer: You can hit better, but I can hit constantly. He must be starting a new punch just after Marquez has successfully slipped, blocked or countered his last one. Diaz will be the bigger man. He must use that. Lean on Marquez if there’s a clinch – and don’t clinch. The 25 year-old challenger must make the champion feel every day of his 35 years, every moment of the decade longer he’s lived and fought.
Diaz must send Marquez back to a river of Spanish-language disapproval after every round. Trainer Nacho Beristain will have fits if Marquez gets in a sloppy shootout with Diaz. Exactly. Let his mentor’s disapproval sap Marquez. That’s the best way to beat him.
Oh, and good luck with that, Juan!
In a sport of tough psyches there may be no more verifiably resilient creature than Juan Manuel Marquez. His will stiffens his chin. His mastery supplies his will. And at some level, resentment ignites all of it. While Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera were enchanting his countrymen, Marquez was laboring in obscurity. Now is his time. And he doesn’t suffer usurpers gladly.
If Diaz is unable to discomfort Marquez, there’s a good chance Marquez will discomfit Diaz. Ask fellow Houstonian Rocky Juarez – who fights in Saturday’s co-main event with Chris John, a guy who decisioned Marquez during the Mexican master’s Obscurity Period. Juarez, an all-round solid fighter, was made to look shabby in his Tucson fight with Marquez 16 months ago.
How did Marquez discomfit Juarez? By landing right-uppercut leads, of all things.
That’s the bad news for Juan Diaz. Here’s some good news: Regardless of outcome, if he acquits himself well against Marquez, Diaz will have completed an advanced degree in prizefighting. Making a collective 24 rounds with Campbell and Marquez in 12 months will ensure Diaz soon dominates the lightweight division.
On a personal note, I can’t wait. I’m heading to Houston Friday morning to see two of the most entertaining athletes in our sport. And with both Diaz and Juarez on the bill, good economy or bad, Houston should turn out, making Toyota Center plenty loud. Again, a non-casino venue in a fighter’s hometown is how prizefighting is supposed to be staged.
Now for the choosing. I love both guys. But there’s no picking against the master till he’s beaten-down. It will be close, but I’ll take Marquez: SD-12.
Bart Barry
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