Between Fighters – Marquez vs. Diaz II
The last time Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez and “The Baby Bull” Juan Diaz dueled in the center of the ring against each other was in February of 2009 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, which is Diaz’s backyard. In their first fight, they produced brutal action from start to finish with both fighters having cuts under their right eyes from their harsh exchanges. The fight ended with a vicious uppercut by Marquez in the ninth round which knocked Diaz out, spoiling “The Baby Bull’s” homecoming. The fight was regarded as one of the best fights of 2009 by everybody who saw it.
Now it’s the meeting of the Juans again as the two fighters will dual in a rematch for Marquez’s WBA and WBO lightweight titles live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV on July 31, 2010.
Lightweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez is a great Mexican fighter who was once the recognized Featherweight champion in 2003, having beaten fighters such as Manuel Medina and Derrick “Smoke” Gainer. Also, Marquez captured the SuperFeatherweight title in 2007 by beating future Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera. Trained by the great Nacho Beristian, Marquez’s elusive counter-punching style has produced great success for him and Beristian throughout his career.
In Marquez’s last fight, he moved up in weight to fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who was coming off of a two year layoff, in a showdown at 147 pounds back in September of 2009. During the fight, Marquez was simply undersized and overmatched, and was thoroughly beaten throughout the fight. Mayweather threw multiple left hooks with one left hook knocking down Marquez in the second round. The fight was so one-sided, that Marquez’s corner told him late in the fight to go out and fight for his dignity. Mayweather won a decisive unanimous decision leaving many of us wondering what would be next for Marquez.
“The Baby Bull” Juan Diaz is the former Unified Lightweight Champion who defeated fighters such as Jose Miguel Cotto, Acelino Freitas, and Julio Diaz. “The Baby Bull” turned professional at the age of sixteen, winning his first thirty-three fights before losing his first fight to “The Galaxy Warrior” Nate Campbell. Trainer Ronnie Shields has trained the Mexican-American star for most of his career, and with a come forward, punches in bunches boxing style, Diaz has withered most of the fighters who have stepped into the ring with him.
Diaz was last in the ring on December 12, 2009 in a rematch fight against Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi. Although Diaz took home the original decision, many felt that Malignaggi had cleanly outpointed him. In the second fight, Malignaggi simply out-boxed and out-hustled Diaz in the fight and won a well deserved and relatively easy unanimous decision.
Two fighters will show up at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV with something to prove to the boxing world. Marquez and Diaz both are coming off of embarrassing losses to superior counter-punching fighters, and neither fighter can afford to lose this fight coming up on July 31.
The fight sets up to be a potential fight of the year, with so much on the line for both fighters, especially for Juan Diaz. If Juan Diaz loses this fight, it could be his last chance for him to become an elite superstar in the sport. As for Marquez, he already has surefire Hall of Fame credentials, but needs this fight to reestablish his current position in the sport as a champion to be feared and respected. On July 31 it will be a combustible explosion in the ring, and the boxing world will find out which fighter has more left for another run at the top of the sport.
