Wellllllll, given they're both Panamanian, it'd make sense that the fights happens in their hometown.
Hmmm. This is tough. As skilled as Marcel was and as impressive as I thought he was against Arguello, I've just seen more of Pedroza, quite frankly, so feel more confident with picking him. There was a slipperiness and slickness about Pedroza that Arguello didn't have and would probably trouble Marcel. I think.
Ernesto Marcel was kayoed in round 10 by a young Roberto Duran on May 16 1970. Eusebio Pedroza was kayoed by Alfonso Zamora in round 2, on April 3 1976. Both fell prey to heavy hitters. Neto Marcel has the more experience against more quality opposition. Both are slick and are winners, but I do think that Marcel wins this one by a thin majority decision.
Marcel on points for me in a great fight. They were similar fighters in some ways, both great in the slick Panamanian mould, but I think Marcel had a bit more bounce per ounce and showed himself to be a bit more well rounded and comfortable in establishing control against a wider array of styles despite Pedrozas long title reign.
Before I answer, I'll start by saying that it's CRIMINAL Marcel isn't in the HOF. I think Marcel in a close one due to styles. He was a bit quicker and more dynamic than Pedroza, and Pedroza have to lead rather than counterpunch gives Marcel a bit of an edge.
My default position on Pedroza match-ups tends towards El Alacran being the victor. But, being matched against Marcel makes this much less clear-cut. I really don't think I can separate them. Both were operators of the highest class.
One thing that most aren't considering is that Marcel was a pretty dirty and rough operator himself, when he wanted to be. He elbowed and headbutted Gomez numerous times despite completely shutting him down. This fight would be a lot dirtier and nastier than people expect.
