VAZQUEZ - MARQUEZ 3 is the FOTY ~ but the 4th fight is coming up in February 2009!

BigBone · Mar 1, 2008

bachatu said:

I take Vasquez by a 8th or 9th round TKO. He has the momentum from their last fight, which I believe will carry into this fight, but Marquez certainly won't go out without putting a hell of a fight. I sense this fight will go like their other two, with Rafael Marquez being the better of the two in the early rounds; however, I don't think Marquez has the one punch ko power to knock Vasquez down and OUT, because that will be the only way to discard of Vasquez in this fight. He (Marquez) may knock him down, in which it will be an all-out Castillo vs Corrales war, with both men being hurt and possibly down. However, in the end, I see Vasquez coming back and closing the gap on an early lead made up by Marquez, and ending the fight in a dramatic & devastating fashion.

In regards to the quality of the fight, you couldn't put a better match-up. Both guys match up very nicely and both has wills and hearts that will have to be crushed in order to be defeated; but something's gotta give. Yes, it's not an overly hyped match, like that of a Pavlik vs Taylor, which is why I personally value this one greater. But these fights are the gems that make boxing memorable for many fans, as you sometimes may not expect any spectacular, but it ends up being that, plus much more. In this regard, I hold Showtime with higher respect in the sense that they continue to give us some very well made up match-ups. They don't just put bouts together to sell their main in-house boxer to later sell'em on ppv's, they actually put stuff together that makes as much sense outside the ring as it does inside, but with the fights usually outperforming the hype come fight night. Way to go Showtime!
Click to expand...

:thumbsup That's a great post! The only thing I'd like to add is that Showtime should learn how to market BIG fights because it seems that HBO can bring more money and a wider audience to the table... I mean I don't know how much Vazquez and Marquez will earn but I believe that the same trilogy aired by the HBO would've made millions more for them. But Showtime is great for the fans, they brought us Corrales-Castillo as well.

BigBone · Mar 1, 2008

Fight's in a few hours. Anyone care to do a round-by-round?

BigBone · Mar 2, 2008

Here are the results of our votes:

Vazquez on points
bulakenyo, jyuza, nickfoxx, Tom_Tocca
4 4.30%

Vazquez by KO
aleklaser, bachatu, BadIntentions, Banjostring, Beatboxer, BigBone, BoxingGuru, ChampionsForever, Daddy, Fedor Em, gatorage, general, goldenboy, Green Iguana, hmi, iceman, IntentionalButt, Iron Mick Titan, jimmythejet, johnny5, kartog, knockout, KobeIsGod, Lance_Uppercut, manboo, mbarrios22, mike464, Oscar de la Roa, PacDbest, Paenkhay, PeterNielsen70, Pharaoh, psychopath, RealIzm, saul_ir34, seandegraw, Sister Sledge, Sugarkay, sugarngold, tnf1400, toetotoe, wayne3280, ximatar, yalipito, zato-one
48 51.61%

Draw
Smirf, TomaTos
2 2.15%

Marquez by KO
ABignell, BigReg, BryRock, Chunk, cougnuts510, EL MATADOR13, emanuel_augustus, ericfabre, huki, Jack, jaco, MexicanJew, Michael Vick, Minotauro, NickBarker, randeris, robpalmer135, Ryuuzaki, Sedona, Smith, Steel Kelly, Tuavale, Zaryu
26 27.96%

Marquez on points
4Rounder, BLOODLUST, ChuckYoungblood, Dorfmeister, Dr Gonzo, KayEpps, Kush, ogii3, Ramshall1, sherbert, sthomas, TIGEREDGE, TonyCamonte

There's absolutely no shame if yoe picked the wrong guy or the wrong result.

BigBone · Mar 2, 2008

This content is protected

Dorfmeister · Mar 2, 2008

BigBone said:

This content is protected

Click to expand...

First and foremost, that was what boxing is all about! I was actually screaming at the screen!What a fantastic fight! Immediately rockets to the top of the all-time trilogies! Okay... enough exclamation points... I'm so pumped up, I think the only way I can put my thought into order is to number them:

1) Honestly, I didn't think Marquez won a round after the 4th. I had him pitching a shutout through the first 4 (with the 10-8 in that round). He was using his long jab to perfection and Vazquez couldn't get into his rhythm. The he might have stole the 8th round with that flurry at the end, and the 9th probably could have gone either way. Still, on my card, I had it even after the 9th, 85-85.

2) The low blows were very often. I thought the one that the ref took a point on in the 10th was borderline, but he could have taken a point earlier for some of the south of the border work Marquez was doing. It seems like most of the judges had that a 9-9 round, but I thought Vazquez did enough to make it a 10-8.

3) After the 5th round, I don't know if Marquez took a step forward for the remainder of the fight. He was moving laterally or backwards, while Vazquez was coming forward all night. I think that while Marquez might have landed some of the cleaner more powerful punches in rounds 5 thru 9, it was Vazquez throwing more of them and constantly stalking.

4) That final round was something to savor! Fantastic punching and moving by Vazquez. That was DEFINITELY a knockdown, and Marquez is LUCKY the ref stepped in, or the fight probably would have been stopped. Izzy was ready to put him to sleep in the 12th. I had Vazquez winning by a much wider margin than most, 115-110, but I could see the 9th going to Marquez and the 10th being a 9-9 round, making it much closer at 113-112 for Vazquez.

5) Post-fight comments - I was disappointed in Marquez's bitterness. He fought a good first half of the fight, but he was going backwards too much to think he got a clean decision. He was warned to keep the punches up yet he still kept working below the equator and was penalized. And he and his cornermen are high if they think the ropes didn't keep him from landing in the 3rd row at the end of the fight. Vazquez was exhausted but gracious in victory. Unfortunately he had to deal with the biggest a-hole in boxing, Jim Gray afterwards. Where the hell does Jim Gray get off asking Vazquez to answer in English?! What a jackass! Hey Jim, why don't YOU ask the questions in SPANISH?! And once again, a fantastic job by Al Bernstein and Steve Albert. I really like hearing those two call a fight. They don't project their allegiances on the action like the HBO guys do sometimes. Great job by Showtime, keeping it to one fight and getting it done by 10:30.

I loved this fight. I'm exhausted. Sorry this post is so long. I'm still juiced! I'd watch Vazquez-Marquez 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10!

Tom_Tocca · Mar 2, 2008

I had it 113-112 Vazquez but shouldn't get the praise for picking Izzy by decision as I wrote in my official predicition that Vazquez would win via TKO10, but at least the strategy/fight I called went as predicted

JAB5239 · Mar 2, 2008

BigBone said:

You know the fight is so close that I can feel it in the air and still no dozens of topics on the forums well at least we can have an official one After March 3 I strongly believe that we can add a trilogy to the 10 best rivalries ever, and I mean EVER in the history of prizefighting.

Whys that?

For that kind of ATG status you need absolutely mesmerizing battles, very good, possibly ATG fighters fighting in their prime, and of course fame, charisma and hype.

Lets see what we have:

We already have two ATG fights between two absolutely elite blood and guts warriors, a The Ring FOTY award, a The Ring round of the year award and a hell lot of other awards. We just need a final chapter just a half as good as the first two and well have a new immortal trilogy for the books. So two battles are already there, and does anyone think that the 3rd will be a boring battle? The worst thing can happen is a quick win for one of the combatants. The fights are already there.

What about the fighters? Well, Marquez is already one of the best in BW history as he really dominated in a category knocking people out like Mark Johnson or Tim Austin and of course he added up p4p-er Israel Vazquez in his first SBW battle to his record. Thats impressive. For years, he was considered as the best puncher of the game but it seems he lost a little pop in the SBW division. I think Rafael has already done enough to be an ATG but his brother has to defeat Manny Pacquiao for that IMO. ATG brothers? Sounds fun! And after 1-1 against each other, I think that for Israels ATG status he needs to win the 3rd one and he's in. But his resume pre-Marquez is not a bad one either. Some wins over reigning or former champions, his trilogy with Oscar Larios, his almost heart-braking win in the Gonzalez fight and of course now a win over the great Marquez. When the two first met, World BW Champion faced The Ring SBW champion, both guys were on the The Ring P4P list and they still there. And they were and are considered as the best punchers in the game and they proved that against each other.

Of course both are in their prime. Rafael jumped up in a good time, at the age of 31 after brutally dominating the BW category and Vazquez with his wins over World SBW Champion Larios and Gonzalez really stepped up to the P4P level.

And what about fame, charisma and the hype? Well thats the weakest point of this great trilogy and I blame the promoters, the boxing world and the whole sport-loving community for that. You just cant make those guys more famous if they were ALREADY p4p-ers and The Ring champs when they first met. And you know just a few thousand fans paid a ticket to see them. I think thats because the bad work of the promoters. And of course if youve ever seen SBWs fighting live, you have to know that they are REALLY little guys and of course watching them from a stadium is almost impossible. But in the age of TV that cant be an argument. And both guys are very sympathetic, they have the charisma, they have the style, they have the heart. Of course they lack a perfect English language and thats a big defect. But the Spanish language community is HUGE! I see the less-than-deserved hype as a responsibility of Showtime as well. Imagine how good pre-fight show HBO could've put up and after two fights, maybe a 24/7 wouldve been a lead-up to the final battle. But it seems that the biggest superfight of the last decade is the superfight for the hardcore fans, the historians and the experts only. Imagine the hype if a Pavlik-Calzaghe, Pacquiao-Diaz or Mayweather-Cotto trilogy wouldve been made with 3 Corrales-Castillo type of fights!

But the rest is there, so dont forget to tune in on March 1st or if you can, go for the event as youll see history making in front of your eyes.

Soooooooooo after this loooong lead-up its time to pick a winner!

Id pick Vazquez as Ive picked him before the first two fights. It appears he has the better chin. At SBW he looks the stronger of the two both in punching power and physically. They both have SUPERB boxing skills, especially offensive, and they lack a little in defense but thats the greatest thing for the fans. Both have a good jab but I think even if Rafaels a little bit more accurate and straight, Israel is a little bit faster and puts his combinations better together. Of course it seems that he can take the punches better. The stamina is a question, the heart is not. Its really hard to predict a winner cuz you never what will happen, who will land the decisive shots and if God forbid it will go to the scorecards WHO THE HELL WILL BE AHEAD? Predict that one bro! But I have to go with Vazquez based on the two previous fights.

And theres the poll so you can pick your winner and/or let us know in a few words what do you expect in the 3rd fight and about the historical value of this great rivalry.

The line Immoratality! Take it! Its yours! is from Hollywood movie Troy. But Vazquez-Marquez is aint no Hollywood movie. In the ring you can get hurt and you can make a REAL war making the Trojan horse look like a pinkie pink pony under the hysterical Spears sisters a**! :tong
Click to expand...

Very nice insight. This fight lived up to what you and the rest of us fans expected. It may be the best trilogy ever, it was that good imo.

BigBone · Mar 2, 2008

Thank you very much.

It was certainly the best trilogy I have ever witnessed watching live. Truly super superbantamweight warriors, everybody should learn from this because this is truly boxing at it's very best. When Top p4p-ers giving their all, everything, so much, that they probably never be the same again after they've finished with each other. What a superfight! What a 4th round! What a trilogy!

I had Vazquez ahead of 114-111/112.

BigBone · Mar 2, 2008

RealIzm said:

I'll **** my pants if it goes to the 10th
Vazquez KO7
Click to expand...

Gotta clean those pants bro! :good

the_what · Mar 2, 2008

Vasquez is God-like.

BigBone · Mar 2, 2008

Some fight photos from ESB articles:

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

This content is protected

Both figters down

This content is protected

This content is protected

And still...

This content is protected

Post fight...

This content is protected

They have to take some serious painkillers in the following days... they won't be pretty for the next couple of weeks that's for sure...

BigBone · Mar 2, 2008

This content is protected

Here's the SBW scene: De Leon is of course the name for another huge war for both, but there are the better skilled Caballero and Molitor as well. The contenders and prospects are pretty cool like Juanma, Kiko Martinez or 2006 fight of the year winner Sithchatchawal. So there are some good names out there but certainly no superfights to be made.

Vazquez: moving up to FW is a logical thing but he's not a big SBW at all, and the champs at 126 are pretty tall and physically strong today, so FW might be too much for a 30 year-old, pretty much beaten up Vazquez.
John: #1, very skilled boxer with an average punch, interesting fight, but no way they gonna make it.
Guerrero: very strong, quick, skilled young fighter, might be too much for Vazquez given his big size advantage. But a very good fight and quite possible.
Linares: most experts see him as a future p4p-er, and probably just a win over Vazquez needed... he’s too big and too strong as well with amazing skill... too much for Israel IMO and not yet a huge name and Vazquez is probably looking for one. But what a great fight that would be!
Luevano: another skilled young champ who’s getting better and better – and more powerful. Not a big name yet, but would be an interesting choice for Vazquez.
Barrera at 130... you know GBP mentioned it so we can’t rule that out... 130 is a HUGE disadvantage for Vazquez – and how about this: both men are trained by Rudy Perez! A superfight but I might not want to see this. Bad timing... a few years ago at 126 maybe, but not today...
JMM at 126... now that’s very interesting. Win or lose 2 weeks from now, that’s a very interesting matchup with a huge promotion (revenge for the lil’bro). Truly amazing and JMM never had problem with the FW limit... he just moved up to challenge MAB and now to fight PacMan there... Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

Marquez: if not De Leon, how about moving back to BW? He had that cracking power there and maybe a better stamina.
Penalosa is one name there as well as Hasegawa or Sidorenko - but not big names. Gonzalez would be a good fight but not a big fight.
But there’s a big fight I’d like to see: Marquez-Mijares! Actually Mijares is taller than Marquez and he’s a big SFW so moving up to BW at least for one big fight wouldn’t be that much of a disadvantage for him... And that’s truly a superfight. Possible? Well, I don’t think Marquez will move back down but would be a very good matchup!

Farmboxer · Mar 2, 2008

I heard a rematch, fight IV mentioned on TV! I dont' know if they can survive such.

BigBone · Mar 4, 2008

This content is protected

"NEW YORK (March 4, 2008 ) – SHOWTIME will re-air the instant classic Vazquez-Marquez III SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast in its entirety tonight, Tuesday, March 4 (SHO2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) and Wednesday, March 5 (SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT). Subscribers can also catch the scintillating match anytime at SHOWTIME On Demand (where available)."

BigBone · Mar 14, 2008

RANK THE VAZQUEZ-MARQUEZ SERIES!

After having rewatched the whole trilogy in one pack, I've come close to rank the 3rd one as No1. So much drama, amazing skill level, what a 4th and 12th round! Still, just slightly now, but I see the 2nd one as the best. You know the first one could've been the FOTY in any other year, and there's 2 better Vazquez-Marquez fights... WOW!

So my ranking:

1. 2nd fight
2. 3rd fight
3. 1st fight

Log in or Sign up

VAZQUEZ - MARQUEZ 3 is the FOTY ~ but the 4th fight is coming up in February 2009!

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

Dorfmeister Boxing Junkie Full Member

Tom_Tocca The Provider Full Member

JAB5239 Boxing Junkie Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

the_what Bolo Punch KO Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

Farmboxer VIP Member Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

Log in or Sign up

Forums

VAZQUEZ - MARQUEZ 3 is the FOTY ~ but the 4th fight is coming up in February 2009!

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

Dorfmeister Boxing Junkie Full Member

Tom_Tocca The Provider Full Member

JAB5239 Boxing Junkie Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

the_what Bolo Punch KO Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

Farmboxer VIP Member Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member