30.01.07 – By Sean Ocampo: Juan Manuel Marquez finally got his chance for a big pay day and more importantly a big fight against a legit superstar. He has been waiting for this kind of opportunity since the days of Prince Naseem Hamed as the prince of the Featherweights. This fighter has been denied with big money fights all throughout his career because of some managerial mistakes. The career defining fight that he craved all these years is scheduled and a done deal. He will face fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera for the WBC Super Featherweight Championship..
At 33 years old, Juan Manuel isn’t getting any younger. As he gets older, his god given reflexes for his trademark counterpunching will definitely diminish. The big fights that were supposed to be scheduled years ago will come in late in his career. But it is better late than never. Marquez are taking these opportunities to carve his name in boxing history as one of the best of this generation and not be a footnote to the other great fighters’ legacy.
Signing with Golden Boy Promotions is definitely a career reviving move for Marquez’s part. The turbulence he had the past few years dealing with promoters has finally cleared. He found a new home in Golden Boy and he’ll probably get big fights now. This is his new beginning.
Marquez is undoubtedly the best counter puncher in the business. The way he performs is like poetry in motion. He blasts his opponents with crisp text book combinations to the body and to the head. He is the exact opposite of what a Mexican fighter should be. The guy doesn’t have the mentally of an all out brawler rather a focused fighter that will break his opponents down ever so patiently. Not matter what people say about his style, he still gets the job done. But Marquez is also a proven warrior. As a testament to that claim is his match against Manny Pacquiao. Wherein he got decked three times in the opening round and rallied back to make it a draw. His gallant effort in that fight earned him some serious recognition.
Many people believed that Marquez’s style exposed Pacquiao as a one dimensional fighter. Some also believed that he was the key to Erik Morales’ victory over Pacquiao two years ago. But can he do it against a fighter that can change styles and also an experienced one?
The answer to that question is a resounding YES! I think he can beat Marco Antonio Barrera.
I personally believe that Marquez is a much better fighter than Barrera. Marquez, if you look at him closely isn’t a worn out 33 year old like Barrera. Marquez also has underrated power. If people were able to look closely at his last few fights and also his fights back in the day then they will probably see how big of a puncher Marquez is. After his snoozer fights with Orlando Salido, Victor Polo, including his controversial defeat against Chris John, he turned on the heat in his next two fights wherein he scored impressive stoppages against two tough fighters.
Even though, Marquez is still untested on top of the big stage and the Pacquiao fight is his only notable fight in three years or even five years. I still see no reason for him dropping his fight against Barrera. He is a far better technical fighter than Barrera will be and I also consider him the much bigger puncher of the two. In addition to that, for both fighters who are past their prime I think Marquez isn’t the worn fighter. Judging to their two recent fights, Barrera almost dropped his first fight with Rocky Juarez but gave the young lion a boxing lesson during the second fight. While Marquez stopped two young fighters in two tough fights. Although, the level of competition isn’t actually the same but it is proven that Barrera couldn’t take any of that brawling Mexican mentality as part of his repertoire any longer. Marquez on the other hand proved that he could be Mexican at times by getting into a tough bar room brawl inside the ring with young rugged fighters.
It is almost certain that Barrera couldn’t out box Marquez inside the ring because of Marquez’s much superior technical skills. The only way Barrera could possibly win this fight is to catch Marquez with a perfect shot to the chin. As we all know, Marquez doesn’t have the best chin in the business but not the worst either.
For Barrera taking this fight, I commend you, but your better days as a warrior have finally left you. Taking Marquez is as dangerous as taking Pacquiao in the ring. Marquez’s past is left in the Featherweight division and his future and legacy will be written in the Super Featherweight division.
I say pave way for the Pacquiao-Marquez II later this year.