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Showtime Championship Boxing Recap

March 1, 2008

Home Depot Center-Carson, California

Vazquez vs. Marquez III

Ring/WBC Super Bantamweight (122 pounds) 12-Round Championship Match:

Israel Vazquez (42-4, 31 or 32KO's, 122 pounds) (c) vs. Rafael Marquez (37-4, 33 KO's, 121.5 pounds)

Vazquez won both of these titles from Marquez in his last match via technical knockout at 1:16 into round 6 on August 4, 2007. The match was named match of the year, and an amazinground3from that match was named round of the yearby The Ring magazine, ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, and many others in boxing. These boxers are facing each other for the third straight time in an epic rivalry thatis assuredly shortening their careers and will effect these men for the rest of their lives.

In the first match, on March 3, 2007 at the Home Depot Center Vazquez entered defending these same 2 titles, and was stopped at 3:00 of round 7 when a badly broken nose thathe had suffered in round 1, forced him to quit on his stool. Vazquez' nose had swollen to cartoonish proportions and post match medical tests revealed he only had 10% air flow through his nose after the match. The premature stoppage was unfortunate, because the first match was on its way to being a potential match of the year.Marquez behind strong power punching won the first 2 rounds and was on his way to winning the third, when he was caught with a left hook from Vazquez and sent to the canvas. The two boxers worked at a furious pace the rest of the match, before the matchwas stopped. At the time of the stoppage the judges had the match in favor of Marquez by majority decision, 67-65, 67-65, 66-66.

The immediate rematch was heldat the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Partially this was to draw on the boxers' large Mexican fan base, and potentially to avoid sanctioning hassles that could be brought in to play for the rematch. Vazquez' trainer from the first match, Freddie Roach,refused to work with the boxer anymore. Roach instead waspubliclysaying that Vazquez should retire or at least take a year off, because he was showing diminished capacity in his every day life and beginning to slur words in fromthe years of being punched in the head. Roach, who is living with Parkinson's disease thatmay be an outgrowth of damage sustained in the ring, was not going to be a part of helping a boxer damage theirhealth permanently. An incomplete list of Vazquez' medical suspensions on boxrec.com has the number at 7, and the suspension Vazquez received for the broken nose following the first match betweenhe and Marquez is not listed. There was a strong belief that Vazquez was rushing himself back for the rematch. Due to the fact Vazquezhad called an end to the first match himself, some peoplewere questioning his heart andthis was leading Vazquezto make potentially foolish decisions. The short layoff between matches meant had to spar in preparation for the second match wearing a face shield, similar to what Richard Hamilton of the NBA's Detroit Pistons wears during games. This prevented Vazquez from being hit on the nose during sparring and meant the first time he would be hit in the nose followingwould be in the rematch.

There was some controversy in the dressing rooms before the second match even started. Marquez' people believed Vazquez had illegal hand wraps for the match. Therefore,Vazquez was forced to have his hands re-wrapped to the satisfaction of the state boxing commission and Marquez' people. Marquez' promoter, Gary Shaw, said at the time he was going to file a protest about the illegal hand wrapsafter the match. There have been no reports of anything coming from that complaint.

Like the first match, Marquez won the first two rounds of the rematch behind consistent power punching. To open round 3, Vazquez had a cut on the bridge of nose and as in the first match chose this round to rally. Vazquez had Marquez badly hurt and in trouble with a left hook with 2:27 to go in the round of the year. With 1:30 to go in the round, Vazquez had been cut again. This time a bad gash had been opened above his right eye and the blood was flowing into his eye, obstructing his vision. Nonetheless, Vazquez continued to throw a nearlyendless succession of power shots for the rest of the round, while a still hurt Marquez answered in kind. After round 3, there was another cut opened above Vazquez' left eye that was bleeding, and his face was a bloody and swollen mess. After round 3, Marquez had a bad cut below his right eye that was bleeding and a cut along the hairline on theright side of his face. Both of Marquez' eyes were beginning to swell shut, the right one significantly. All of the punches were ruled to have come from the vicious power punches the boxers were trading.

Inround 5, the blood from the cut above Vazquez' left eye was streaming into the eye and badly obstructing his vision. Fearing a doctor stoppage and technical knockout loss, Vazquez began to work at an even more furious pace. The boxers' legs tangled with 49 seconds to go in round 5 causing Marquez to go down to the canvas.It was correctly ruled a slip. However, the fall seemed to take a lot of energy out of Marquez and hewas not the same for the remainder of the match.With 2:41 to go in round 6, Vazquez caught Marquez with the same left hook that knocked Marquez down in the first match, and it again knocked Marquez to the canvas. Marquez successfully answered the referee's count, but was on unsteady legs and following a few unanswered punches the match was stopped with 1:44 to go in the round. Replays showed the referee may have moved in a bit quickly, because Marquez was still defending himself somewhat. However, it appeared likely that Vazquez would finish Marquez in that round. The quick stoppage did give ample reason for a rematch in what may go down as one of the great trilogies in boxing history.

Vazquez is The Ring Magazine Champion at 122 pounds. The Ring also ranks Vazquez at number 6 on it's pound-for-pound rankings.

Marquez comes from a boxing family. His fatheris a former boxer and one of his older brothers is thetop ranked boxerJuan Manuel Marquez. Ironically, Juan Manuel was ranked by The Ring as the number 4 pound-for-pound boxer at the time of Vazquez-Marquez II and moved into the number 3 pound-for-pound ranking Rafaelheld following his (Rafael's) loss.

Marquez is ranked by The Ring as the number 1 contender at 122 pounds and number 10 on it's list of the top boxers pound-for-pound. One ofMarquez'older brothers is thetop ranked boxerJuan Manuel Marquez. Ironically, Juan Manuel was ranked by The Ring as the number 4 pound-for-pound boxer at the time of Vazquez-Marquez II and moved into the number 3 pound-for-pound ranking Rafaelheld following his (Rafael's) loss.

At 30-years-old Vazquez is 2 years younger then the 32-year-old Marquez. Marquez has the height advantage standing 5' 5.5" tall, while Vazquez stands 5' 4.5" tall. The challenger holds the reach advantage with a 68" wingspan, compared to a 66.5" wingspan for the champion. Neither boxers' unofficial weight approaching match time is available, but Marquez might have a slight edge in that category.

Bodog lists the odds for this approaching match time:

Vazquez-170

Marquez+140

The over/under on number of rounds is 7.5 with Bodog giving makingthe undera slight favorite at -130 to -110 for the over.

California uses a modified version of the unified rules of boxing. In California, both the referee and doctor can stop the match. Under the unified rules only the referee can stop the match. Two of the judges keeping official score of this match from ringside are from California, while the other is from New Jersey. The referee is Pat Russell.

This is going to be fun. The boxers pick up right where they left off in round 1, and the star studded crowd featuring Sylvester Stallone and Jack Nicholson is electric from the opening bell. A very close and actionpacked round 1 that saw the boxers trading on the inside goes to Marquez, 10-9. However, in round 1 Vazquez landed a few very good punches that could spell trouble for Marquez later in the match. After round 1, Marquez has a semi-smile on his face and the look of a caged animal that cannot wait for the bell to restart the action. Both boxers' adrenaline is pushing them to an earlypace that seems unsustainable. Very close round 2 in which both boxers score effectively. Marquez may have barely won round 2, 10-9. After round 2, Vazquez asked his corner to check if his nose was okay. Vazquez' corner used a Q-Tip and assured Vazquez his nose was not bleeding, but told the boxer to breathe out of his mouth. It appears the champion's nose has been broken, again. As round 3 begins, there is redness around the left eye of Vazquez. With 23 seconds to go in round 3, a left hook from Marquez catches Vazquez in the cup and the champion begins to walk away from his opponent. Vazquez takes 6 seconds to walk it off, then the boxers touch gloves and the action resumes. Marquez was given a mild warning by the referee for the foul. Marquez wins round 3, 10-9. In the first 3 rounds, Marquez is landing more total punches, but Vazquez is landing the harder punches. A right hand from Marquez sends Vazquez to the canvas for the first time in this trilogy with 59 seconds to go in round 4. Vazquez satisfactorily answers the referees count and appears to have his legs under him when the action resumes with 47 seconds to go in the round. After the knockdown, Vazquez gets up and starts throwing power shots trying to even up the round by knocking down Marquez. A left hook had Marquez hurt and backing up with 33 seconds to go in the round. Vazquez is now bleeding from above his left eye, but he has the type of match he wants. Marquez is brawling with Vazquez on the inside and the champion's left hooks are getting the best of the challenger. This round may be in contention for round of the year, and there will likely be no 1:15 of boxing this year better then the last 1:15 of round 4. Marquez wins an amazing round 4, 10-8. Anyone reading this must go seek out a replay of this match, and the entire trilogy, it is one for the ages. Marquez leads on my scorecard after 4 rounds, 40-35. The judges may have it much closer then that, though. It is 55 degrees Fahrenheit and overcast in Los Angeles at the time of this match, which is arctic for LA, and the crowd for this outdoor match which is the loudest I have ever heard any outdoor crowd for boxing. The members of the press keeping unofficial score at ringside for Showtime all have Marquez winning with the scores of, 39-36, 38-37, 38-37.

In round 5, Vazquez is cut above the right eye with an accidentalheadbutt. It appears the cut above Vazquez left eye was also caused by an accidental clash of heads, and there is a substantial amount of swelling above his eye there. However, the swelling is not impeding Vazquez' vision, yet. Vazquez wins a close round 5 by being busier and landing a good combination at the bell, 10-9. A Marquez left hook lands well below the belt line of Vazquez with 15 seconds to go in round 6. The referee issues Marquez a stern warning and tells the boxer the next low blow willresult ina point being deducted. Vazquez' power punching barely wins round 6, 10-9. The boxers are maintaining the insane workrate they opened the match with and show no signs of slowing the pace. Marquez leads on my scorecard after 6 rounds, 58-55. The members of the press currently have Marquez winning by split decision, 57-56, 57-56, 56-57.

In round 7, Marquez had Vazquez hurt with under 30 seconds to go in the round, but Vazquez got the better of the first 2:30 of the round. Vazquez may win a very close round 7, 10-9. An amazing round 8 is nearly impossible to score. Vazquez may have won it, 10-9. The fact someone must lose this match is unfortunate, because they both are performing like champions tonight and deserve to have their hand raised at the end of the night. After 8 rounds, Marquez leads on my scorecard, 76-75. However, almost any score from the judges in favor of either boxer is plausible and completely defensible. After 8 rounds, the press row scores have Vazquez winning by spilt decision, 75-76, 76-75, 76-75.

To start round9, Marquez has some swelling under his right eye that has been steadily growing for the last several rounds and may be beginning to effect his vision. Marquez spends much of round 9 in retreat and does not use his jab. This allows Vazquez to control the round and even trap Marquez against the ropes several times. Vazquez wins round 9, 10-9. To open round 10, Vazquez face is a distorted mess. Vazquez'nose is swollen and contorted and the swelling around his eyes have the champion looking similar to a vampire in the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Round 10 sees the first clinch of the match, because it appears Marquez is finally tiring from the relentless work of Vazquez on the inside. With 46 seconds to go in round 10, Marquez again catches Vazquez low. Even though the punch did not hit in area to hurt Vazquez, it was one low blow too many for the referee. Marquez is being docked1 pointafter he has received severalsevere warning for low blows. The clock was not stopped for the point to be taken and action is resumed with 33 seconds to go in the round. Vazquez by controlling the location of where round 10 is contested wins the round, 10-8. This rivalry is has turned into one where each boxer has a strong respect for the other. It appeared Vazquez wanted to touch gloves and continue following the low blow that drew the point deduction, when the referee sent him to the neutral corner. Vazquez appeared almost as upset about the point deduction as Marquez, because he did not want that to mar a classic match and rivalry. After 10 rounds, Vazquez has taken the lead on my scorecard, 95-93. After the round 10, Al Bernstein on color commentary for Showtime says perfectly a statement that he has never said as a boxing journalist. That he almost does not care how the judges score this match. Whatever it is, it is. Meaning that this match transcends scoring to being what boxing is supposed to be and the score is irrelevant. There can be no loser in this match or rivalry at this point. The press row scores have the match a majority draw at this point 95-93 (Marquez), 94-94, 94-94.

In round 11, the swelling around Marquez' left eye is severe enough that he cannot properly see the right hand from Vazquez coming and the champion is able to land it consistently. Vazquez wins round a round 11 that saw both boxers trading power punches at the bell, 10-9. The pace of this match has stayed consistent from both boxers the entire match. Vazquez comes out throwing huge power punches in round 12 and has Marquez holding on to buy timeuntil the final bell with 2:19 to go in the round.Finally with 6 seconds to go in round 12, Marquez grabs the ropes in the corner to stay standing and the referee moves in to make the count with Marquez vigorously arguing that he was not knocked down. Marquez was clearly going down for the third time in the trilogy from a Marquez left hand to cap a powerful combination had he not grabbed the ropes. The bell ends the match after Marquez has answered the referees count toend an amazing match, a historic rivalry, and a legendary trilogy. Vazquez wins round 10, 10-8. The champion was so dominant in round 12, forcing Marquez to hold on numerous times inan eventuallyunsuccessful attempt to spend all of round 12 standing, that Vazquez may taken round by thescore of, 10-8, without theknockdown. Vazquez wins an all time classic match on my scorecard, 115-110. At the end of the match, when it does not matter anymore,the cut above the left eye of Vazquez, which has not been bleeding the entire match begins to bleed heavily. The referee could have stopped the match when Vazquez was holding on in the corner. However, he did the right thing in only ruling it a knockdown. The referee did an excellent job in this match.

The official decision as read by the always "Classy" Jimmy Lennon, Jr. is that the judges have scored this match: 114-111 for Vazquez, 114-111 for Marquez, 113-112 for the winner by split decision and still The Ring and WBC Super Bantamweight Champion of the World, Israel "Magnifico" Vazquez. The win moves Vazquez to 43-4, with depending on the source 31 (boxrec.com) or 32 (Showtime) of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Vazquez was afraid of losing a decision entering round 12, because of the strong work Marquez had done with his jab earlier in the match. However, the champion feels he won the match. Vazquez says he is willing toface Marquez one more time after he takes some time off to heal from this match.

In Marquez' post match interview he said that he thought he won the match.Hesaid that the knockdown call in round 12 was incorrect, because he never hit the mat. Marquez feels the referee worked against him in this match.The vanquished challengerwants a rematch.

The top concern for Vazquez has to be his health. It appears that his nose can be broken easily now and that will need at least one surgery following this match. He is showing issues with being prone to cuts, which could prove problematic in the future. That still does not deal with the far more major concerns brought up by Roach before the second match. In Marquez' post match interview he said that you could see who won by looking at Vazquez' face. Vazquez took a tremendous amount of damage to his head, yet he finished the match standing. This is literally a life altering rivalry thatmay never leave him the same.From a fans perspective to see these two in the ring again is boxing nirvana. From a humanitarian perspective knowing about Vazquez' perceived injuries to see these two in the ring again borders on sadism. Ideally, Vazquez would take Roach's advice and retire, because this trilogy should have him financially set for life. That is not going to happen, though. In reality, the biggest money match out there for Vazquez is likely another match with Marquez. The other potential match talked about for Marquez is that he move up to 126 pounds and face one of the title holders Robert Guerrero. Guerrero defeated Jason Litzau via devastating knockout on Friday on ShoBox and would be ready to go around the same time as Vazquez. Guerrerocould also collect another title at 126, while Vazquez takes some much deserved rest to make their match a bigger deal when it happens.

The knockdown in the final round and the point deduction for the low blow won Vazquez this match. Without the knockdown, the deciding scorecard likely has the match a draw, 113-113. GiveMarquez thepoint back he lost for repeated low blows andhe probably wins the deciding scorecard, 114-113. He has ample reason to ask for a rematch, and it would be in his financial best interest to get it. However, this rivalry has been the same physically abusive life altering feud for him that it has for Vazquez. Marquez does not come in with the suspected pre-existing medical conditions of Vazquez, but these matches shorten careers and stay with boxers their entire lives. The Mexico City resident has the most to gain from a rematch, but he may also be looking to move up to face Robert Guerrero. Though larger then Vazquez, Marquez does not possess the power that Vazquez does making a move up in weight class more questionable. A match like this can only raise is stock though and he should be able to earn sizable paychecks facing anyone at 122 or 1126 pounds.

It is hard to imagine any match being better then this one all year long or in many years.This may end up being remembered as one of the great matches of all time. This is an amazing match that any fan of anything covered on wrestlingobserver.com or f4wonline.com should do anything they can to see.