By Paul Strauss, photo by Tom Casino / Showtime: Two knockdowns a penalty for low blows and a split decision, what more could you want! Fans will be talking about and debating this one for a long time, as well as the two previous fights between these two great fighters. Maybe even until they fight again? I certainly would vote for a fourth fight.
Marquez and his corner-men thought he deserved the decision, directing interviewer Jim Gray to view the obvious damage to Vazquez’ face. Once again Vazquez sustained cuts over both eyes, plus he had the usual swollen and possibly broken nose. Marquez didn’t come out exactly unscathed either.
To this viewer, one of the most amazing things was Vasquez’ stamina. Considering the punishment he took, it was unbelievable how he mustered the energy to turn up the heat in the final round. He unleashed punch after punch, never giving Marquez a chance to catch a breath. He got Marquez in serious trouble, and was credited with a knockdown, even though Marquez didn’t actually go down. It was obvious Marquez would have gone down if not for his right gloved hand clenched to the top rope. He was in a very vulnerable position as well, and Vasquez tagged him twice more with a straight right and then a left hook before the referee jumped in to administer an eight count. With only seconds left, a knockout was probably not much of a reality.
Two judges scored the fight 114-111, but for different fighters. The third judge scored it 113-112 for Vazquez, so he earned the split decision. But, I think fans’ blood pressure will be elevated for quite sometime over this one
Marquez had his left jab working in the early rounds, and he was keeping his distance. Surprisingly, he hurt Vasquez with his left hook, rather than the reverse. However, even when he knocked down Vasquez, it did not appear that Vasquez was in danger of being knocked out.
Vasquez landed lead right hands several times, surprising Marquez, and when Marquez would fall in close, Vasquez was able to do additional damage with his short hooks and uppercuts. It appeared that by the second half of the fight, Marquez was beginning to slow down a bit. He became more flat-footed, and his stance widened, which resulted in some of his punches falling short, leaving him vulnerable for Vazquez’ counters.
However, just when it appeared the momentum had shifted for good, Marquez would come roaring back, rallying and possibly stealing the round. At least in the eyes of one judge that was the case.
After the first two fights, it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that these two warriors would put on another classic battle. There’s just no quit in either one of these champions, and to think this wasn’t pay-per-view! Showtime should be congratulated for putting together this trilogy. As Jim Gray put it, it was a privilege to watch these two great fighters. What do you think……maybe a
a fourth one, or a Vazquez vs Guerrero match-up? Wouldn’t that be something! Well, let’s give Vazquez a little time to celebrate, enjoy his victory and heal up before we start toying with that idea. Wow! What a fight!