Rafael Marquez to fight in August, then plans for Vazquez
by Scott Christ on Jul 23, 2009 7:21 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Former 118 and 122-pound titlist Rafael Marquez of Mexico says he's already training for an August 22 fight and then he wants that fourth fight with Israel Vazquez. He says everything is fine after the car accident that scared fans in recent months.
"In a stroke of luck, everything turned out well after the accident. There were only some scratches and we are already training hard to come back in Guadalajara against an opponent from Nicaragua."
As far as Vazquez goes:
"We already know the fight will be at featherweight (126 pounds). Israel wants it and I want it."
Despite the quibbling after their third fight, when Marquez believed he was erroneously called knocked down in the crucial 12th and deciding round, he and Vazquez seem to maintain a great level of respect for one another. After their hellacious three bouts, it'd be tough not to. Micky Ward has said that he and rival Arturo Gatti had two choice after their fights: Hate each other or become close. They became close. It's yet to be seen if that'll be the case for Israel and Rafael, but they sure don't seem to hate each other. I can definitely see the two posing together for photographs in the next decades at conventions and the like. They're already completely intertwined with one another.
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Marquez/Vazquez or Gatti/Ward
Is/will Vazquez be cleared to fight? I thought he was still having some medical clearance issues.
Additionally, I’m relatively new here, so perhaps this has already been discussed, but…
There seems to be some debate as to which trilogy was better. Fortunately ESPN/Showtime had been rerunning the Marquez/Vazquez fights recently and then HBO played the Gatti/Ward trilogy just the other night. I personally prefer the Gatti/Ward fights because, while neither were as skilled as Marquez/Vazquez, Gatti/Ward just seemed to deliver and fight through so much more punishment. Eh, its close, but I say Gatti/Ward.
Vazquez has been cleared to return.
As for the trilogies, it’s Vazquez-Marquez for me and it’s not particularly close. What Gatti and Ward did to each other was almost inhuman, but … they just weren’t as good as Vazquez and Marquez, and really they weren’t very close to being as good. Vazquez and Marquez were both P4P top ten guys. Gatti and Ward were not. For their weights, Vazquez and Marquez are harder punchers than were Gatti and Ward, and their shots were far more accurate. I don’t really think Gatti and Ward took any more punishment than Vazquez and Marquez did/have so far, I just think it looked that way sometimes because both got tired and started throwing desperation shots.
by Scott Christ on Jul 23, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Barrera and Morales went the other route, of course.
They fucking hate each other.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Jul 24, 2009 12:04 PM EDT reply actions
to this day
Which is one of my favorite things about their rivalry. I mean, I like to see guys respect each other as warriors, but their thing started personal and just got worse and worse. Every gesture of respect for the other guy got shot down. The last time I heard one of them talk about the other was Morales discussing Barrera on HBO’s Countdown to Pacquiao-Morales III. Morales’ only comment: “He’s a motherfucker.”
by Scott Christ on Jul 25, 2009 2:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
Variety is the spice of life. The relationship Gatti and Ward developed was extremely cool to see, but so is Morales and Barrera’s Tijuana/Mexico City blood feud.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Jul 25, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions
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