By Ted Sares, photo: SUMIO YAMADA – With the super bantamweight supremacy at stake, boxing fans were treated to the rubber match in what was again an exciting, back-and-forth slugfest between two hard men. They went to war with a total disregard for their wellbeing, and with a doggedness and uncommon determination that defines what machismo is all about. A serious nose injury– a metabolic blockage–halted Vazquez in the first fight when he surprisingly retired after the seventh round even though he seemed in control..
In the rematch, Vazquez once again displayed his superior power, this time his nose didn’t slow him down on his way to a TKO of Marquez at 1:15 of the sixth round. The specter of these two super bantams going after each other with an uncommon fury and with blood flowing down their faces was for me the essence of machismo. They two were warriors on this special evening in Hidalgo, Texas.
Prediction:
In the rubber match, Marquez (37-4, 33 KOs) will hold the advantage in speed and technique, but Vazquez’s superior power may give him trouble by the fourth or fifth round. If Marquez is to prevail, he will need to adjust and stay out of the way of Magnifico’s chilling hooks. In short, he will have to fight smart and try to avoid the brawl that Vazquez (42-4, 32 KOs) likes best.
Given the first two fights of this trilogy and given the respective styles of the fighters, I don’t see a strategic or technical bout. What I expect is another give-and-take, bloody non-stop cock fight. One possesses a lethal straight right; the other owns a savage left hook. Both are skilled. Both will again blast away while displaying an incredible work rate. The fight will be the essence of “machismo explosivo.” Glued to the screen, I expect to see the possibility of non-stop back-and-forth action, blood, cuts, and vicious knockdowns.
I see Marquez winning by fighting smart and cutting up Vazquez with his jabs. If he can stay away from the in-coming Magnifico, he can win by stoppage due to cuts or by a UD. But if he falls prey to the stronger native of Mexico City and allows him to dictate the pace in the mid rounds, it will lead to a Vazquez stoppage victory in the ninth or tenth stanza.
Outcome:
No disappointment as the two great warriors again let it all hang out and exceeded expectations once again. As anticipated, it included ebb and flow, heart, tenacity, desire, skill and courage–and non-stop action, blood, cuts, and vicious knockdowns with minimal clinching.
Marquez looked to be the better of the two in the early stages staying on the outside and using his jab and strong right hand, but Vazquez closed the gap going down the stretch. Then, with a point deduction on a marginal and questionable low blow, things really tightened up.
Still, Vasquez did a gut check in the final round, listened to his corner, and ended up doing what he had to do in the final seconds to pull out the fight in dramatic fashion and cap off a great trilogy.
While it’s just a shame the referee had to play such a key role, I have minimal argument with the razor thin decision in favor of “Magnifico” who tonight lived up to his nickname. In the end, it was the fans who really were the winners in this one.