Just watching a few of his fights near his peak, around the Johnson/Austin years, I think a lot of people forget just how good he was. A massive puncher, who had terrific punching technique. Looking through the generations of punchers around those divisions, I think it's fair to even rank him alongside the likes of Carlos Zarate. A brilliant puncher, but he had much more to his game than that. Very good skills, attacking and defensive, and always entertaining. The Austin turnaround was probably the first time I really took notice of him and became a fan. Getting outboxed by a good opponent, looking lathargic, hearing Aaron Snowell shout "It won't be long now" and then...Marquez stops Austin the very next round. Amazing turnaround and those performances are what epitomise greatness to me. It almost seems that the fights with Israel Vazquez were so great, that they take away attention from the earlier part of his career, where he was a truly outstanding fighter. In some ways, much like Roberto Duran, who casual fans associate with Leonard, or even Hearns, Hagler and Barkley, despite the fact that none of these fights were during his peak or at his peak weight. The Vazquez/Marquez tetralogy is that good, that I get the sense a lot of people think Marquez and Vazquez were 'just' warriors but I think both men had as much skill as they had heart. Looking into his future, I would like nothing more than to see him beat Lopez, but I think he has a very small chance. Despite the win over Vazquez, which to me proved as little as the Mendoza fight, I see him as a very shopworn fighter. But when he does retire, hopefully in good health, I hope more fans remember the great fights and performances from his prime, rather than what happened after the wars which define him.
Very well put...Rafa was a monster at 118, and is definetly one of the best combination punchers of this era...No doubt, ill remember him by his bantamweiight reign and his epic wars with Vasquez...Thats what i think of when i hear about Rafa: His reign at 118...The bantamweight of this decade for sure! :good I'll be rooting for him nonstop in his next bout against Lopez, i do belive he has a decent chance against him, tho i wouldnt make him a favorite, but i wont rule out the possiblility of him winning the fight. If he does win, he'll be a 3 division champ and he along with his older bro JMM will become the first brothers to be 3 division champs!!! :happy WAR RAFA!!
Great fighter and one of my personal favourites. He was a beast at bantamweight and I thought Nacho did a terrific job moulding him into a more complete fighter. Early on, he was a little too reliant on his big right hand but by the latter part of his 118 reign, he was one of the best in the business with the jab, uppercut and throwing hard combinations. I'm hoping he still has some greatness left in him and he manages to beat JuanMa. War Rafa!
How do you think it compares to modern reigns, mate? He was clearly the best at his weight for years and looked really good. Could you argue that it's up there with Lewis at heavyweight, Hopkins at middleweight etc.?
I would rank it pretty high, but i would still put it below the other 2...Hopkins reign for example was very long and dominant, and he unified all the belts even tho he "lost" to Taylor and the end of his run. Lennox Lewis also had a long reign and was undisputed champion, but also lost twice, although he avanged his losses. However, Rafa never unified, but he never lost during his reign. So yeah, id rank it below the others, the former were undisputed champs, and B-Hops defended his title 20 times...It's a very good reign, but not quite up there with the former IMO.
Rafa was a total ****ing beast. Beautiful style and absoluely murderous power. That being said he's more shot than people think IMO.
Completely agree. See the first Too Sharp fight(who i thought beat him ) and then watch his fights against Mabuza later on in his reign and you see a much improved Rafa.
I'm a big Rafa fan. Rafa is the best 118 pounder of his time imo. From his TKO victory in the 2nd Mark Johnson fight to his title winning stoppage of Tim Austin, Marquez showed great precision. He also showed great power at 118 by being the first man to stop Pastrana and of course Slience Mabuza twice.
rafa is the man for sure ...i think of him as the more brutal , more explosive of the two brothers!.....jmm is smarter tho imo!
As everyone says he was a great puncher and has a lot of power. But you cant ignore his skills either. The first vasquez fight was a brilliant display but this is a good thread, he deserves to be remembered for more than just them fights
:huh It would have been bad if he was Puerto Rican. Nachos Beristain made him a more complete fighter.
Good to see heads in ESB give Rafa his due props. He could put together some great combos with nice technique, just like his brother. He's really given boxing fans some great performances, as Jack pointed out: The Austin turnaround was probably the first time I really took notice of him and became a fan. Getting outboxed by a good opponent, looking lathargic, hearing Aaron Snowell shout "It won't be long now" and then...Marquez stops Austin the very next round. Amazing turnaround and those performances are what epitomise greatness to me. I remember hear that "it won't be long now..." LOL I'm a big fan, but I'm not blind fan and know JuanMa is the favorite going into their highly anticipated bout next month. But if JuanMa can't get to Rafa and hurt him ealy, I think the favor will start shifting to Rafas' favor. JuanMa has shown some defensive flaws and if he steps into the ring against Rafael without addressing some of those issues he's going to have a long hard fight and could possibly face his first loss.
:good Rafa really does employ that Baristain style all the way, and has been successful because of it. Even though he's no longer with Nacho, he still fights with those fundemantals.
