Dear Juan Manuel Marquez: I Love You.

[Vito Corleone]

How can a boxing fan - a TRUE boxing fan - look at Juan Manuel Marquez and see anything other than the epitome of what a modern boxer should be?

Forget for a moment his heavenly skills. If you can. Forget the way that he weathered the storm from a younger Baby Bull only to unleash one of the prettiest finishing combinations in recent history. Culminated by an uppercut which could only have been divinely gifted upon him.

Forget for a moment the massive heart. If you can. Forget the way that he came off the canvas three times in the first round against Manny Pacquiao. Unlike his compatriots Morales and Barrera, he didn't tap out. Juan Manuel Marquez guzzled a pint of his own blood and beat Pacquiao up for the remaining 11 rounds.

Forget for a moment his integrity. If you can. Forget that his name has never been mired in the myriad steroid, cheating, weight-manipulation scandals that have sullied our beloved sport.

Juan Manuel Marquez, I love what you represent. I love the way you fight. I love the way you represent your country. From the bottom of this boxing fan's heart, thank you.

[The Rizonator]

Yo tambien te amo, Dinamita.

[Phil Ivey]

Great post, it will be a sad day when he retires. Pretty sure he'll be inducted to the HOF also.

[JK1700]

Great boxer. It's a shame that boxing politics and Bob Arum robbed him off two career defining victories against Pacquiao. It was brutally clear that he won the 2nd fight, But Arum had the judges in his pockets!

[BennyST]

How can a boxing fan - a TRUE boxing fan - look at Juan Manuel Marquez and see anything other than the epitome of what a modern boxer should be?

Forget for a moment his heavenly skills. If you can. Forget the way that he weathered the storm from a younger Baby Bull only to unleash one of the prettiest finishing combinations in recent history. Culminated by an uppercut which could only have been divinely gifted upon him.

Forget for a moment the massive heart. If you can. Forget the way that he came off the canvas three times in the first round against Manny Pacquiao. Unlike his compatriots Morales and Barrera, he didn't tap out. Juan Manuel Marquez guzzled a pint of his own blood and beat Pacquiao up for the remaining 11 rounds.

Forget for a moment his integrity. If you can. Forget that his name has never been mired in the myriad steroid, cheating, weight-manipulation scandals that have sullied our beloved sport.

Juan Manuel Marquez, I love what you represent. I love the way you fight. I love the way you represent your country. From the bottom of this boxing fan's heart, thank you.

Me too! That threesome of Morales, Marquez and Barrera are just boxing brilliance. All warriors that possessed an amazingly high skill level. I think I'd have to say that I like Marquez the best with Morales a ridiculously close second and Barrera nearly tying with Morales.

I'm gonna be real sad the day he retires or gets retired if it comes down to something that bad. I pray that it doesn't!

Great post, it will be a sad day when he retires. Pretty sure he'll be inducted to the HOF also.

Pretty sure? Pretty sure? He's a damn first ballot, genuine HOFer man! What are you trippin on?

[d0n]

Nice thread, dissapointing video.

[S.G.]

JMM is the embodiment of everything I love about boxing.

[BennyST]

Great boxer. It's a shame that boxing politics and Bob Arum robbed him off two career defining victories against Pacquiao. It was brutally clear that he won the 2nd fight, But Arum had the judges in his pockets!

Ahhh man, don't start that ****. Although the majority agree, it will turn this appreciation thread into a pathetic flame war. But, I just gotta say quickly, people always bring up Pac's cut against Morales and his excuses against Marquez....like his socks....yet, no one talks about how Marquez fought from round one with a badly broken nose struggling to breathe properly, being hit while down, swallowing blood the whole fight and still winning nearly every round after that! Excuses? Give me a break!

Anyway, let's keep it on track and on Marquez, not something else.

Marquez epitomises what combination punching is all about. I actually think he has the best series of combinations I've ever seen in the sports history. Seriously. For a combination punching expo, go watch Terdsak Jandaeng (a great fighter in his own right) vs Marquez. His finishing combination in that is my all time favourite combo.

The combo that finished Diaz was accuracy and violent poetry in motion perfected.

His heart, grit, determination, integrity, skill, passion, warrior spirit are second to none! Man, what a legend.

[BennyST]

Yeah, I hate that video by the way. The HBO GH vids are always ****. They can't show all their greatest fights if they weren't all on HBO so there are always a bunch missing and they don't even bring up most of his great wins.

[Vadrigar.]

Me too! That threesome of Morales, Marquez and Barrera are just boxing brilliance. All warriors that possessed an amazingly high skill level. I think I'd have to say that I like Marquez the best with Morales a ridiculously close second and Barrera nearly tying with Morales.

I'm gonna be real sad the day he retires or gets retired if it comes down to something that bad. I pray that it doesn't!



Pretty sure? Pretty sure? He's a damn first ballot, genuine HOFer man! What are you trippin on?

do you think he's an ATG?