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Juan Manuel Marquez will be back in the ring on April 14, co-headlining a Top Rank pay-per-view against Serhiy Fedchenko in Mexico City, with Brandon Rios vs Richard Abril in Las Vegas as the other top bout.
Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KO) is trying his best to sell Fedchenko (30-1, 13 KO) as a tough test. From BoxingScene.com:
"I think the public will gain from the change of opponent. Against Rene Cuenca, of Argentina, [I had] a boxer with a tough style. With Fedchenko, who I know is from Ukraine, I have a very strong fighter who is always looking to get a knockout. He has a good punch, and his history reflects that. ... He has faced the best in the world, he's a very strong fighter and he has shown resilience. I'm definitely going to have a very dangerous opponent."
To say that Marquez may be slightly overstating his opponent's credentials would be akin to saying that Wladimir Klitschko comparing Jean Marc Mormeck to Mike Tyson was "a bit of a stretch."
Fedchenko, 30, is not a world class fighter. Since Marquez wants to talk about his history, then let's call a spade a spade and just flat-out say that Marquez is fibbing and hoping people just take him at his word. Since you're being asked to shell out your hard-earned money to see this show, here's what you're really going to get.
Fedchenko is not a puncher. His history absolutely does not reflect that. He has not faced the best in the world -- his best opponent was DeMarcus "Chop-Chop" Corley, who at this point (and at the time Fedchenko beat him) remains a very good veteran gatekeeper, but he is just a veteran gatekeeper now. Fedchenko's other notable opponent was Kaizer Mabuza, with Mabuza winning a majority decision on the road in Ukraine in September 2009.
The idea that Fedchenko is "always looking to get a knockout" is laughable. He fought on February 18 on the Klitschko vs Chisora card, beating novice Laszlo Fazekas in a totally one-sided fight that went the full eight rounds.
This fight is no test for Marquez. Fedchenko is not near the Mexican star's level and to pretend otherwise is just silly. It is a stay-busy fight meant to pin an interim title at 140 on him and set up his next step, be it a July fight with Brandon Rios or a November meeting with Manny Pacquiao.