Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Likar Ramos on Saturday

By Boxing News - 07/14/2011 - Comments

By Eric Thomas: Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KO’s) will be taking a tune-up bout this Saturday night against southpaw Likar Ramos (24-3, 18 KO’s) in a scheduled 10 round bout at the Plaza de Toros in Cancun, Mexico. Marquez, 37, wanted this fight to get accustomed to fighting southpaws again so that he can get ready for his November 12th rematch against Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marquez is taking a tiny risk by facing Ramos, because he’s a good fighter and can punch a little. If Marquez loses to Ramos, then his fight with Pacquiao will be down the drain. Marquez, though, is confident that he’ll be able to get by Ramos without any slip ups of any kind. He’s probably right because Ramos doesn’t look like anything special in watching several of his fights.

His wins have come against 2nd and 3rd tier opposition for the most part, and he was destroyed by Jorge Solis in a 7th round TKO last year in February. Solis would be in serious trouble against Marquez, which tells you all you need to know about Ramos’ chances against Marquez on Saturday.

What some boxing fans wonder is what is to be gained for Marquez by taking on someone as over-matched as Ramos. He doesn’t have the speed, power or the skills that Pacquiao possesses. He also doesn’t fight anything like Pacquiao and it’s doubtful that he’ll be able to mimic what Pacquiao will be bringing to the fight against Marquez in November. Ramos is a nice little payday for Marquez to slip in before the Pacquiao fight but that’s about it.

Marquez last fought last November, stopping Michael Katsidis by a 9th round TKO. That was a while ago, and it’s understandable that Marquez would want a tune-up bout before facing Pacquiao in November. If Marquez didn’t take a tune-up he would effectively have been out of the ring for an entire year by the time he faces Pacquiao. However, you’d like to see Marquez facing someone better than Ramos so that he can actually get in some good competitive rounds and not just a blowout.



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