Marquez sends a message to Pacquiao

Mexican Independence Day was doubly significant for former WBC superfeatherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Yesterday, he proved his independence, stepping out of the shadows of his contemporaries Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, who both had announced their retirement. But he also proved he is subservient to a burning desire to face Manny Pacquiao again.

The superbly conditioned Marquez made a big splash with his first fight as a lightweight after his controversial split decision loss to Pacquiao on March 15. Fighting for the Ring Magazine’s lightweight title held by Cuban Joel Casamayor, Marquez took a couple of rounds before getting used to the new weight.Then he dismantled the man called “El Cepillo”.

Casamayor was the former WBC lightweight champion, before he was stripped of the title due to inactivity. The title was eventually won by David Diaz, who was knocked out by Manny Pacquiao middle of this year. Casamayor has always insisted that he is the true world lightweight champion, and has been promoted as the “linear” lightweight champion, meaning the belt can be traced back to him. Casamayor, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 before defecting to the US four years later, just came off a tough comeback against the previously undefeeated Michael Katsidis. After being knocked through the ropes in the sixth round, Casamayor came back to steal the win from the Greek-Australian who called himself “Michael the Great.”

Marquez was slow to start the fight, as Casamayor used his extended reach to spear him with a right jab. But by the third round, the three-time world champion found the range, consistently stepping in each time the Cuban threw the jab. The middle rounds belonged to Marquez.

In a match of counterpunchers dubbed “The Challenge” and broadcast by ABS-CBN Sports, Casamayor proved effective, but ultimately one-dimensional. He would spear in the jab, then follow up with the left straight. Marquez would feel it, but adapt.

In the fourth round, Marquez opened a long, shallow cut along Casamayor’s right eyebrow. Blood trickled out along the side of Casamayor’s cheek, and would prove a distraction later on.

Casamayor had a couple of close calls, but otherwise was keeping the fight close. At the time of the stoppage, two of the three judges, Patricia Morse Jarman and Paul Smith, scored the fight even. Marquez’s impressive variety of punches kept Casamayor from using his full arsenal of dirty tricks, though he did hit out of the clinch occasionally.

Marquez would wait for Casamayor to throw, then wade in with a heavy combination. Early in the 11th round, the Mexican caught Casamayor with a two-punch combo that sent him to the canvas. With about 30 seconds to go, Marquez hammered Casamayor again, and the groggy champion tried to clinch. But Marquez would slip the hold and batter him with uppercuts and hooks, until he fell face forward, and referee Tony Weeks dove onto him to keep him from absorbing any more punishment.

Marquez clinched his 36th knockout in 49 wins, and revealed after the fight his main motivation for moving up in weight.

“Yes, we moved up to go after Pacquiao,” Dinamita said. “Mayweather was the best. But now, I am the best.”

At 35, Marquez doesn’t have long to wangle a big rematch against Pacquiao, who will do his best to avoid a third fight. There are plenty of other big names in the lightweight class out there, and should Pacquiao come back down to earth after his bout with Oscar dela Hoya, Marquez will still be waiting.

But Pacquiao will be looking the other way.

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