How good was Rafael Marquez?

Great post as always (realise I’m responding to this one over 4 years late).

Just wondering if you still think Rafael is close to a top 10 spot at bantamweight?

I was thinking about this and reckon if you only included Mexican bantamweights, he might only just make the top 10 there.

You’ve got the likes of Olivares, of course, plus Zarate, as well as Jose Becerra and Raul Macias from earlier eras and then a slew of titlists and contenders from the golden era of the late 60s through to the early 80s: Jose Medel, Jesus Pimental, Chuco Castillo, Rafael Herrera, Romeo Anaya, Rodolfo Martinez, Alfonso Zamora, Lupe Pintor and I’m probably missing some more.

It’s such a deep division in Mexico’s boxing history and that’s before you consider the likes of Jofre, Harada, Rose, etc.

Just interested to hear your current take…

 

I don’t think he has much case for the top 10 but I could see a place for him in the 12-15 range. Strikes against him is that he didn’t unify but he did beat the guy who was regarded as the #1 in Austin. The Vazquez series was great but of course at 122. Head-to-head at 118, he’s a monster. Probably ranks higher on that than overall body of work. In his prime, he was a great fighter.

 

I agree with where you have him but he is definitely one of those guys you could never count out. Aside from being a great technical fighter he was also a guy that could figjt through pure hell as he showed throughout his career. A true hall of famer and one of the great warriors of the sport.

 

And older. That said, I don't think he is as over rated as Arturo Gatti, much as I loved Gatti's fights and admired his courage.