Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez kept his World Boxing Association lightweight throne on Saturday with a unanimous 12-round decision over Juan Diaz, then called out Filipino star Manny Pacquaio.
Marquez took a rematch of a slugfest from last year by judges’ scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112, improving the 36-year-old fighter’s record to 51-5 with one drawn. Diaz fell to 35-4.
Marquez twice lost to Pacquiao and while the Asian superstar has been unable to land a blockbuster fight with unbeaten US veteran Floyd Mayweather, Marquez is hoping he might have a chance at a third swing in the ring with “Pac-Man.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
“The trilogy is what I want. It’s what the people want,” Marquez said. “I will be ready for another fight in December, hopefully Pacquiao.”
While Pacquiao looks to fight Mexican Antonio Margarito in November, Marquez said his hunger to face the Filipino legend is greater than his desire to rule as World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization lightweight king.
“That’s true. That fight is more important for me,” Marquez said.
PHOTO: AFP
Marquez dispatched Diaz in the ninth round in February last year and this time was faced with a more tactical boxer-styled foe. The result, however, was the same.
“That first fight was a war. This was a bit more tactical,” Marquez said. “He wanted to box a bit more, but we came out ahead. He’s a great fighter. He knows some technique, but tonight, technique was in our favor.”
Marquez staggered Diaz with a left uppercut in the fourth round, cut the challenger’s lower lip in the ninth and owned the fight almost from start to finish.
“I fulfilled the game plan, used my jab, but Juan Manuel Marquez is a great fighter,” Diaz said. “He was the better man.”
Having lost four of his past six fights and with plans to start law school in October, Diaz might be looking at the end of his ring career at age 26.
“I have to reconsider all the facts,” he said. “We will have to see. I have put up a hell of a fight for 10 years,” he said.
Since losing to Marquez in his hometown of Houston, Diaz split two fights against countryman Paul Malignaggi, winning a unanimous decision last August but losing by unanimous decision four months later. The only fight for Marquez since beating Diaz some 17 months ago came in September last year when he stepped up to welterweight and lost to undefeated US star Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision.
Undercard
Jorge Linares of Venezuela earned a comfortable unanimous decision over American Rocky Juarez on Saturday on the undercard of Marquez’s lightweight title rematch with Diaz at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Linares (29-1, 18 KOs) largely dominated his lightweight fight with Juarez (28-7-1), the long-time title contender and US Olympic silver medalist who has won just once in his last six fights.
Linares, a former two-division champion who fights out of Tokyo, lost his WBA super featherweight title to Juan Carlos Salgado on a first-round knockout last October.
He appeared to be back in championship form at 61.2kg despite hurting his hand while knocking down Juarez with a fifth-round uppercut, relentlessly popping his jab in Juarez’s face and using his superior speed to set up uppercuts that damaged both of Juarez’s eyes.
“When I dropped him, it hurt my left hand,” Linares said. “I had to be really careful the whole fight because he’s really dangerous, and he can really take a punch. I was never really tired, but I was always worrying about his experience.”
Linares, who wants another title shot next, won 99-90 on two judges’ cards and 97-92 on the other.
“I feel good, but he clearly won the fight,” said Juarez, who infamously fell short in five straight shots at a title. “I just couldn’t catch my rhythm. I couldn’t do what I worked on in the gym.”
“I don’t know what’s next. I’m seriously thinking about it,” Juarez said.
Earlier, Sakio Bika of Cameroon was disqualified after knocking Frenchman Jean-Paul Mendy unconscious with an uppercut, while Mendy’s knee appeared to be down on the canvas. Mendy remained facedown for several moments, eventually going to a hospital.
Manager Gabriel Gaide said Mendy would be fine, and looked forward to fighting Lucian Bute for the IBF super middleweight title.
Rising 63.5kg prospect Frankie Gomez also improved to 5-0 with a first-round stoppage of Ronnie Peterson.
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