Showtime Honors Vasquez, Marquez For Historic Boxing Trilogy

Showtime celebrated the historical Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez trilogy by honoring the legendary warriors with a special presentation at a media luncheon Wednesday at Tamayo Restaurant in Los Angeles. Media were invited to share their thoughts with America’s No. 1 Boxing Network as it filmed a special Vazquez-Marquez documentary.

Vazquez-Marquez: The Trilogy is a two-hour documentary that takes viewers inside this incredible rivalry; a rivalry rooted in Mexican pride, fueled by warrior-like determination and cultivated by mutual respect for one another – a true rarity in sport. The in-depth documentary breaks down each of the three fights with opinions and analysis from the fighters, their managers and trainers, reporters and industry experts.

The Trilogy premiers on Saturday, May 3 at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime and will air regularly on the premium network and its multiplexes.

Vazquez vs. Marquez I and II produced the most exciting, bloody, give-and-take slugfests of 2007, with the second bout winning Fight of the Year and Round of the Year honors. In the final battle for honor, pride and super bantamweight supremacy, Vazquez retained his WBC/The Ring Magazine crown on Saturday, March 1, 2008, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, by scoring a thrilling split decision victory by just one point over his rival, Marquez.

What the fighters, promoters and everyone involved had to say at Wednesday’s luncheon:

Showtime Producer Ken Hershman:

“It is a privilege to be here. When we embarked on this fight we never expected anything like this to happen. We appreciate all the effort of the managers, promoters and fighters for making this happen.

“We have prepared a commemorative piece and a two-hour documentary to air on Showtime in an effort to thank these fighters for their unforgettable trilogy. The documentary will be filled with insider commentary on the fights. I urge you all to check it out.

“You couldn’t have found two more professional gentleman, fighters and athletes. I want to thank them for everything they have done for us and boxing. This is a special day for the fighters. As you all know, they have earned it.”

Promoter Gary Shaw:

“There is not much I can say that these two haven’t proved in the ring. Today is for Rafael and Israel because they made the fights through their hard work and fearless spirit. I want to thank Ken Hershman for the vision and standing by these guys throughout their three amazing fights.

“I want to thank Israel Vazquez for giving me the thrill of a lifetime.

“Both sides will tell you that this was a war. I give all the credit to Israel and Rafael for the three amazing fights. They are two great warriors.

“The pure excitement of every single round was amazing. I don’t know how many punches they threw or how many they landed. But I don’t think there is another trilogy in boxing that, round after round, second after second, gave you the thrill that these two warriors did.

“Thank you all for being a part of it and supporting these fighters.

“I will forever be thankful that I was a part of boxing history because of Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez. Their trilogy will never be forgotten.

“Rafael, with a belt and without a belt, you are a great, great champion.

“There’s a real special award that will go out today. It’s not something that you can touch or feel or redeem. The one special thing is that they will be forever linked as Vazquez-Marquez. Just like Ali-Frazier, Leonard-Hearns, you can’t buy this type of honor. It can only be earned. They will never be forgotten.”

Sycuan Ringside Promotions’ Scott Woodworth:

“We have to thank Ken Hershman with Showtime for his work in getting these fights together. He saw a winner right from the start. There aren’t a lot of people who can spot a great opportunity from a mile away, but Ken always seems to come up big when it matters most.

“Israel and Rafael were a huge part in the recent boxing resurgence. In just one year they thrilled sports fans with the most memorable trilogy of all time. This is something that boxing needed and Israel and Rafael came through for the sport.

“Fans will always love both of these fighters because they have tremendous skill, heart and courage. Sycuan thanks them for all their hard work and dedication.

Jaime Quintana:

“We need to thank Showtime for their efforts in getting these fights done. Rafael and Israel are one-of-a-kind fighters and they gave us a one-of-a-kind trilogy.

Frank Espinoza:

“I want to thank Sycuan and Golden Boy, Gary Shaw and Showtime. For the last two years Showtime has been the premier boxing program for fans. “They have set the bar for other networks. These three spectacular fights can never be matched.

“This trilogy is now the standard for great boxing.

“The fights between Vazquez and Marquez made the casual boxing fan into a real boxing fan. Their performance was the stuff of legend. That is why Showtime is here to thank two legends for putting on the most thrilling series in boxing.”

Rafael Marquez:

“I want to thank everyone for coming here. I want to thank Gary Shaw and Showtime for making this happen. It was a great ride filled with three amazing fights.

“To be mentioned in the same breath as Ali-Frazier and Barrera-Morales is really quite an accomplishment. It’s incredible what we accomplished in just one year.

“If there is a fourth fight it would be great for the fans and the sport. We’ll definitely entertain the thought of fighting Israel one more time. I think it would be a spectacular fight. I’m sure the fans would love it.”

ISRAEL VAZQUEZ

“I’m extremely grateful for being a part of three great fights. This trilogy will go down as one of the all time greats.

“You can’t have a great trilogy without great fighters. Marquez and I created our legacies by insisting on fighting one another.

“I have to give thanks to everyone involved: Frank Espinoza, Sycuan Ringside Promotions, Gary Shaw Productions and Golden Boy Promotions.

“Showtime always believed in us as well. I can sit here for the next hour and keep thanking people. A lot of people deserve credit for making this trilogy happen.

“After the third fight a fan approached me and said, ‘You should just keep fighting Marquez, it’s the best boxing has to offer.’ I didn’t think about his comment too much, but I guess he was right. We gave sports fans three incredible and unbelievable fights.”