Juan Manuel Marquez takes on Juan Diaz this Saturday in a rematch of the 2009 Fight of the Year. The Las Vegas bout headlines a pay-per-view card that also features Daniel Jacobs vs. Dmitry Pirog, Jorge Linares vs. Rocky Juarez and Joel Casamayor vs. Robert Guerrero.
Each fighter showed tremendous will during their first fight in 2009. After a back-and-forth battle, the fight was even on the scorecards going into the ninth. Marquez closed the show and was able to end the fight with a TKO with just 20 seconds remaining in the ninth.
Only Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao rank higher than Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) in the latest pound-for-pound rankings. Despite losing to both men, Marquez twice gave Pacquiao all he could handle.
Marquez-Diaz was certainly a great fight, but not one that begged for a rematch. Marquez was hoping to lure Ricky Hatton back to the ring, but Diaz is not a bad Plan B. If fans purchase the pay-per-view based on the excitement level of the first fight, then they will be in store for a good night of boxing. Marquez is durable, difficult to stop and always entertaining. It’s the quick fighters like Mayweather that give him trouble.
Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) is no Mayweather. But being Juan Diaz isn’t all that bad. He’s a smart guy (at 26 he’s currently studying for law school) who never backs down. He had his problems with Paulie Malignaggi last year, but that style was not set up well for him. An aging Marquez, who turns 37 in August, works out much better. Diaz won’t have to chase him.
That works out well for the Baby Bull as well as the fans. A collision in the center of the ring is the best game plan for Diaz. While Diaz has shown good defense in the past, especially against Michael Katsidis in 2008, Diaz will need to think more offensively. Marquez is tough to hurt but he’s no stranger to the canvas. While rematches rarely live up to their predecessors’ standard, Diaz-Marquez ought to be a great nightcap to an exciting night of fights.
Inside Fights predictions
Corey Willinger: In the first fight, Marquez took everything Diaz threw at him for the first five rounds. After that, Diaz was spent and Marquez dissected him. Don’t expect Diaz to come out with that same fire this time, for fear of running out of gas again. As he showed in February 2009, Marquez takes it to another level when fighting under intense pressure; with more time to call his shots, he’ll pick Diaz apart once more and take him out around the seventh round.
Paul Magno: Some will downplay this bout because both are coming from losses where they didn’t look very good, but now they’re back to their normal weights and both are looking for redemption. This is a true crossroads fight where the loser may as well retire and the winner gets one more shot at glory. There’s no way that this one won’t be entertaining, but I’m picking Marquez for the same reason I picked him the last time. He’s smarter, sharper and just technically superior to Diaz. I see Diaz fighting to the very end this time, but I don’t see him winning. Marquez wins via solid, but not dominant unanimous decision.
Trent Pusey: Both men are going to get hit a lot. According to CompuBox, there were 540 punches landed in their first fight. That creates a lot of variables in predicting a fight, such as cuts or swelling. In that case, Marquez becomes the pick because he is the more experienced fighter. In fact, it was a cut to Diaz that led to his downfall against Marquez the first time around. Diaz will put up a great effort, but he will get stopped in the later rounds. I fully expect cuts and/or swelling to play a part in the finish as Marquez puts Diaz away in the 10th round.
