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Tonight, Juan Manuel Marquez 44-2-1 (33), a major player in the featherweight division, will lace up his gloves to fight for a world title. No, he is not fighting Pacquio, Barrera, or Morales as boxing fans would like to see; but rather lesser known WBA Featherweight Champion, Chris John, 36-0-1 (20), in Indonesia. Is this the same Marquez who was knocked down three times in the first round during a fight with Manny Pacquiao on May 8, 2004, who got off the canvas each time to courageously fight to a disputed draw? Yes, it is the same Marquez. As an eyewitness, I knew then why Mexican boxers have gained the reputation for being great fighters with unbelievable heart. Why isn’t Marquez facing the aforementioned fighters? Pacquiao is set to fight a rubber match with Morales in the near future. Barrera was set to meet IBF Lightweight Champion Jesus Chavez until he pulled out of the fight due to an injury.
Marquez was the unified WBA Super and IBF Featherweight Champion but lost both those titles outside the ring. Unable to secure the big money fights with his peers, he opted to make a mandatory defense against Fhaprakorb Rakkiatgym of Thailand. According to Darryl People, IBF ratings chairman, Marquez and Rakkiatgym could not reach an agreement on a purse split. As a result a surprising three purse bids were called, with no bidders. Because of not making his mandatory defense of his IBF featherweight championship, Marquez was subsequently stripped of the title.
The WBA generally names a unified champion who holds its title “super champion”, and vacates the regular title so the two top contenders in that particular weight class can fight for the “regular” title. When the fighter, for whatever reason, is no longer a unified champion they lose the “super” title. That explains why Marquez was no longer the “super” WBA featherweight champion when he was stripped of his IBF belt for not defending against Rakkiatgym. Marquez was therefore left without a title because his “regular” WBA featherweight title was awarded to John when he defeated Derrick Gainer April 22, 2005.
If Marquez is to defeat John, he must overcome quite a few obstacles. He is once again a challenger fighting in John’s backyard, will most likely have to deal with a hostile crowd and the contest will be held in an open air arena where the weather tends to be very humid. He must overcome these obstacles for a reported purse of $30,000.
Marquez arrived last Friday with his trainer Ignacio Beristain and three other team members and immediately set up his training camp to make the final preparations for this upcoming bout. Chris John may not be well known in the United States, but he sports an undefeated record. Most of his fights have been in Indonesia, but he has beaten quality fighters like Derrick Gainer and Oscar Leon. Reports out of Indonesia mention that both fighters are in tremendous shape so those that are interested can expect a very good fight. Chris John wins this fight in a twelve round decision.
