i'm a bit disappointed that this went under the radar. did anyone see it? was it as good as it should've been? i know the result but can anyone elaborate on the quality of the action etc? was marquez shot or just not good enough?
I watched it severely hung over so my memory of it isn't the best. The fight was a little dissapointing. The fight started of slow as both were cautious of each others power. Marquez seemed extremely cautious to me. The pace picked up over the course of the fight and both fighters had their successes however towards the end of the fight Nishioka started to really pull ahead and win rounds clearly. He couldn't miss the straight left. It was actually quite painful to watch at times how easilly, how often and how hard Nishioka was landing that straight left on Marquez. It is hard to judge what Marquez has left. He missed alot, especially early on, but you could put this down to Nishioka being a quick, tricky southpaw. However, the way Nishioka finshed strong at the end and started to dominate Marquez isn't a good sign. I wouldn't say that Marquez is shot...he can still perform at world level...i certainly wouldn't write him of against Ramos, Arce, Mijares or even Montiel but against the real elite in and around super bantam (Donaire, Nishioka, Gamboa, JM Lopez) im afraid Marquez gets beat.
I didn't watch it with as much focus as I generally like but if I recall it was close for the first few rounds or so but as the fight went on Nishioka started taking over and yes, Marquez didn't look too good (past it).
Good assessment. I'd agree that Marquez is still capable of being a tough opponent for just about anyone but I do think he's past it though still game.
thanks mate. its sad that rafa is now on that downward slope, i was hopeful he would pull out a final great performance and defeat Nishioka in a real classic. still, would be good to see him go out with a few decent scraps against the fighters you listed. Arce would be a great all -mexican war. mijares or montiel would also be great in-country fights that would surely be pretty action packed.
As a big Rafa fan, it was heartbreaking to see the beating he was taking in the last rounds. But Nishioka was badass in that fight, and really look foward to seeing him fight again.
nishioka is an underated, very good champion. it surprised me how many people were picking marquez to win this fight, ive seen nishioka fight before and knew he had the beating of marquez. the fight did'nt get a lot of coverage on the boxing sites, i feel it would of got more if marquez would have pulled out a win. i hope nishioka now gets the credit he deserves, now that he's beaten a fighter well known to american fans people now may begin to realise what a good champion he is, even though he's japanese and not american or mexican.
Very nice fight, not the brawl we hoped for, but a top level boxing-punching fest, competitive early and a big Nishioka show late, perfect way for the Speed King to make a name for himself Stateside. I'm glad Rafa showed up in good condition, he's better off fighting his size at 122, but he shouldn't continue IMO (or maybe have a final showdown vs. Arce). Nishioka is quality and a very nice person, and his fighting spirit and personality was so appealing that Bob Arum said he wants him back and make Vegas his second home. He's likely to face Donaire next, hopefully Kamegai and Gonzalez will come back too, alongside with Ioka, Hasegawa or Uchiyama.
