Marquez: Fighting with destiny

By Ibrar Arshad: Boxing history teaches us many things, constantly creating unique stories and producing everlasting memories. The medium through which the sport is able to create these everlasting magical moments is through the Men who lace the gloves and enter the place they call home.

Just reminisce at the idea that a fighter leaves a part of himself in the ring each time he leaves an arena. From the grueling training regime to the fight itself, these boxers leave a print of their intentions in the ring. Fight after fight, knockout after knockout and war after war something is constantly being taken out of the arsenal that these men carry to each fight. They then muster all they can to gather and keep what they are left with to carry into the next battle.

When they reach the limelight and enter superstardom and stand alongside previous giants that once ruled the ring, that is when satisfaction is achieved. They have succeeded and just maybe they have done enough to live the rest of their life in a little comfort compared to how they were raised. This point of a boxers life can be short lived or it can be another long journey from which fruits of reward are being picketed all along the way. This so called ladder of boxing can sometimes be an illusion. The sad thing is that some stories in boxing are kept to be unheard. Some struggles are kept behind closed doors. Such struggle and story is only well known by Juan Manuel Marquez.

In the earlier stages of his career Marquez was fighting in the shadows of fellow countrymen Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. Morales and Barrera both carried a nation on their shoulder in the wake of the slowly fading legend, Julio Cesar Chavez. The two young Mexicans who carried this hope both flew through the rankings to the championship fights leaving no man standing. It was almost inevitable that they will meet in what would be one of the greatest fights of all time. All the time in the dark, Juan Manuel Marquez was also chopping away. Earlier commentators almost straight away recognised his technical abilities, however his name was simply not big enough to rival that of his fellow countrymen. Even in the aftermath of Barrera v Morales part one, Marquez was still not given his recognition. It was not just bad luck that Marquez could not get his chance against any of the big named fighters in a talent filled featherweight division. It was not bad luck at all, rather it was careful avoidance. After Barrera lost to Morales in a controversial decision in 2000, Marquez kept his winnings streak up and still for four years no chance was given to him. The reality was that Marquez possessed such technical ability that after viewing any of his fights the elite fighters could not risk their stardom to lose to a fighter that never had the “pay per view factor”. Prince Naseem Hamed, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales all shadowed a brewing storm in Juan Manuel Marquez. It would be an understatement to say that they purposefully ducked Marquez.

Marquez was not your stereotype of a rough toe to toe Mexican fighter. Marquez was a fighter that fought using his brain in the ring, he manoeuvred himself to constantly create openings to unload blistering combinations that simply could not have been foreseen by his opponents. When he came forward you can see the boxing formulae’s calculating away on his face, like a predator he would attack the weakness of his prey, breaking down the body along with head with clean left hook’s and straight right’s. It was a moment of awe when Marquez would unload a combination that was just simply unpredictable, right hooks, left hooks, uppercuts, overhand rights, straight right’s all moulded into a beautiful symphony. The orchestra continued playing these combinations fight after fight all set up by the conductor, Juan Manuel Marquez.

Meanwhile something strange was happening in the featherweight division. Beholding all sense of reality an unknown Manny Pacquiao in 2003 absolutely demolished Marco Antonio Barrera. This was a moment that only boxing could produce to throw us of our feet. It was not just a case of lightning striking once in the same place. Rather it would prove to be a gift to the boxing world in years to come. In this moment of boxing history, boxing itself gave Juan Manuel Marquez a chance to propel himself to where he should be, among the very best in the world.

In 2004 Manny Pacquiao faced Juan Manuel Marquez. Few commentators really gave Marquez a chance. This new breed of beast in Pacquiao seemed just too ferocious for the little known Mexican to overcome. The first round of the fight was probably the most difficult experience for any fighter ever to overcome. You could see after the third knockdown even Marquez questioned himself. These are moments that make or break fighters. Fate had damaged Marquez throughout his career, luck was not his friend, opportunity had abandoned Marquez a long time ago, and justice was a concept that was unknown to the great Mexican. So the only thing Marquez could rely on was his two hands. After the first round that Marquez made a stand that just could not be brought down. He displayed his technical ability to the world to see by completely negating this monster in Manny Pacquiao. His right hand almost seemed magnetised to Pacquiao’s head. Both warriors fought to a draw. After facing hell in the early part of the fight, Juan Manuel Marquez lifted himself to a stage where he was for once given the credit he deserved.

Funnily enough as the next few years passed by, boxing once again pushed Marquez back to the place he most feared. As his once rival countrymen began to grow old, slowly becoming a shell of their former selves, Marquez’ dream was going through the same process. Three years later fate finally brought together Barrera and Marquez in which Marquez triumphed. But that was not where Marquez belonged. His skill set without a doubt rivalled that of the very best of his era. Though not blessed with inhuman speed and beastly power, Marquez possesses a technical ability that surpassed the rest of the best and that is exactly what makes him so great. So the following year in 2008 Marquez and Pacquiao met for the second time. In another breathtaking fight, Juan Manuel Marquez came up short in the eyes of three people. The world witnessed Marquez beating Manny Pacquiao, but boxing once again played a move against Marquez. There is no denying that the fight was close, but you just have to look at the scorecards of all the major analyst’s, commentators, experts and viewers who all had Marquez ahead at the end of the 12 rounds. This is in no way a discredit to Manny Pacquiao but it’s just giving credit where credit is due.

The Mexican warrior found himself again in a position that he knew he shouldn’t be in, but this time the world also recognised it. So what was was next for Marquez? Well he done what he has always done well, and that is keep going. Stopping Joel Casamayor and then stopping Juan Diaz in one of the fight’s of the Decade. Marquez as brave as he is then moved up two weight classed to face the magician in Floyd Mayweather. The size difference proved to be the difference in that fight. Marquez just did not seem to carry any of his abilities at welterweight.

Marquez returned to the ring after the Mayweather fight to beat Juan Diaz for the second time. After 17 years as a Professional boxer and after 57 fights the legendary Marquez for once seemed to look his age against Diaz. The legs seemed to slow down, the movements slowed down, but the heart was still burning with desire. He then faced of against a tough Australian in Michael Katsidis. This time round Marquez put on a show that displayed his combination’s in abundance. Katsidis was stopped.

At the age of 37, outlasting his old rival countrymen Juan Manuel Marquez continues to fight at the very highest level. Still searching for boxing to finally to give him the recognition he deserves. But a true boxing fan knows that boxing is a cruel sport, so Marquez could be waiting for something that is never going to happen. Somehow I get the feeling that just like Marquez got up of the canvas three times against Pacquiao to prove the world wrong, he will continue to keep going. This Article is to put in writing that Juan Manuel Marquez has already created a legacy that will recognise him superior to his rival countrymen, a legacy that will hold him as one of the most talented fighter’s of our time and without a doubt one of the best combination punchers that has ever graced the ring. The best part of his legacy is that his legacy continues. The old Mexican has already achieved what most fighters can only dream to achieve but his hunger and drive is keeping him going. I wish nothing but more greatness to the man because I know nobody deserves it more than Juan Manuel ‘Dinamita’ Marquez.

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