Ringside Boxing Report: Rafael Marquez – Silence Mabuza 2
Plus The Report On Juan Manuel Marquez – Terdsak Jandaeng
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Rafael Marquez once again defended his IBF Bantamweight title with a hard earned ninth round technical stoppage of Silence Mabuza, Saturday night at the Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa in Stateline, Nevada. Marquez’s convincing win closes the chapter on his two fights with Mabuza, the first one back in November ending somewhat controversially, with Mabuza being stopped on cuts in the fourth round after fighting his way back into the bout after a horrific start.
Mabuza, 19-2 (15), once again got off to a slow, tentative start in the first round of the rematch, and the seemingly more intense Marquez, 35-3 (31), took advantage, hurting and wobbling Mabuza at the end of the round. Mabuza’s nose was bloodied in the second round and the speedy South African crumpled to the canvas after an accidental low blow from Mexico City’s Marquez.
With the thirty second break in the action, there were boos from the crowd who thought Mabuza may have been looking for a breather after his rough start.
Mabuza survived Marquez’s power punches to finish round two and decided to make a fight of it in round three, completely changing the fights momentum in his favor through speedy combinations and aggression. Two of the three ringside judges scored the round for Mabuza and much to the crowd’s approval, a barn-burner of a fight was taking place.
The courageous Mabuza often stood toe to toe with the powerful Marquez and got the better of the action in rounds four and five, landing three and four punch combinations to the body and head of Marquez.
Marquez, known by true boxing fans to be pound for pound, one of the hardest punchers and best fighters in the sport, started to regain control of the fight late in the sixth round. Mabuza at this point appeared to be losing steam and willingness to trade with his heavy-handed opponent.
The tiring Mabuza changed tactics from his succesful forward aggression and combination punching to boxing and dancing around Marquez in rounds seven and eight. Marquez
wisely took the lead, upping his aggression level and punch output, often landing his stiff jab and powerful right hands, leaving Mabuza with cuts under his left eye and little hope at the close of round eight.
In the end, Marquez was simply too strong for Mabuza as he completely dominated the ninth round, with Mabuza showing strong will to finish the round on his feet after receiving such punishment. With widening cuts and swollen eyes, Mabuza’s cornter wisely decided not
to continue the fight.
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In the main event, Rafael’s older brother Juan Manuel Marquez, also passed a stern test with a seventh round TKO of tough Thailander Terdsak Jandaeng. With the hard earned victory, Marquez, 45-3-1 (34), captured the interim WBO Featherweight Title and put himself back
on the map as an elite 126 pounder in the boxing world.
Most boxing enthusiasts will remember what was perhaps the peak of Juan Manuel’s career back in May of 2004 with his incredible stand against the “Mexican Assasin” Manny Pacquiao. Marquez was floored three times in the first round but showed tremendous will and boxing skill to fight his way back to earn a draw and many believed Marquez even deserved the victory.
That stand looked even better in light of Fillipino southpaw Pacquiao walking right thru Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera and Eric Morales for TKO victories. It’s been a rough road since then for the elder Marquez due to an inability to secure a rematch with Pacquiao and issues with his promoter Top Rank in not being able to secure the type of fights to keep the ultra-talented boxer in the spotlight.
To make matters worse, Marquez was stripped of his IBF Featherweight title and then took a perhaps ill-advised trip to the jungle of Indonesia in March to lose a controversial decision to Indonesian WBA Featherweight champ Chris John.
Marquez since severed ties with Top Rank and hooked up with promoter Gary Shaw and was looking to make a statement to the boxing world that he was ready to be a major player again, in search of championship fights.
Marquez did not pick an easy opponent in the rugged Terdsak Jandaeng, 24-2 (15), whose only loss in twenty-five fights was to world class boxer Joan Guzman. The opening round was somewhat tentative with Marquez trying to find his range, firing straight rights against southpaw Jandaeng who was content to stand back and box.
There seemed to be a role reversal in styles as the usual slick boxing and counterpunching
Marquez was the one moving forward, pressing the action to take the opening round.
The second round was much the same with some decent exchanges until Marquez stunned Jandaeng with a vicious left uppercut. Marquez went in for the kill, pinning Jandaeng against the ropes and unleashing a furious barrage of punches until another left uppercut deposited Jandaeng face down on the canvas.
It looked as if the Thailander might not beat referee Jay Nady’s count as he lay motionless for a few moments on the canvas, but tough Terdsak was up at the count of eight and was fortunate the bell quickly sounded to end the round before “Dinamita” could finish him off.
The early knockdown of Jandaeng, actually may not have been the best thing for Marquez as he immediately came out to finish Jandaeng early in the third round, swinging for the knockout and leaving himself more open to be hit than usual. This scenario was certainly
exciting for the crowd at Montbleu’s outdoor arena and Marquez fans who are often use to seeing Marquez meticulously counterpunch from the outside and gradually wear down his opponents.
The suprisingly revived Jandaeng showed no fear and swung hard and often with Marquez, landing a huge left that stopped Marquez in his tracks and started some bruising and swelling under Marquez’s right eye. The two combatants traded punches for the rest of the
round and the crowd at Montbleu was thrilled to be watching another furious fight.
Jandaeng would have his best round of the fight in the fourth, often able to pin Marquez on the ropes and land some heavy punches, further damaging and closing Marquez’s right eye, becoming a real cause for concern. Two of the three ringside judges scored the round for the Thailander. The difference in class of the two fighters showed as Marquez took the fight back to the center of the ring and regained control of the match in the fifth round.
The varied combination punching coming from Marquez was a thing of beauty to watch and a reminder as to why Marquez is and elite fighter that held the cherished IBF Featherweight Title for three years.
Jandaeng had no answer for Marquez’s jabs, uppercuts from both hands followed by straight rights, and vicious body shots. Jandaeng soon found himself on the canvas again in the
sixth round, courtesy of another left uppercut, seemingly Marquez’s most effective punch against the southpaw.
Jandaeng would come out for some more punishment in round seven, but was probaby too tough for his own good as referee Nady waved off the bout at 1:13 of the round.
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On Saturday night, the Marquez brothers left little doubt of their talents and the fact that they are likely the best pair of boxing brothers in the history of the sweet science. Fight fans really have something to look forward to in their future bouts.
Gary Shaw Productions and Showtime Championship Boxing did well to put together such high-class boxing in the beautiful summertime setting that is Lake Tahoe.
More Boxing Undercard Photos…
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Contact Mark DeSisto: bostonsmarkd@yahoo.com