Sylvester Stallone has acted in quite a few films dealing with wars inside of a boxing ring. Marco Antonio Barrera has actually been in a trilogy that goes down in history as one of the greatest in boxing. Both were ringside (along with Mario Lopez but there would be no “dancing” on this night) at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA to witness WBC Champion, Israel Vasquez, edge out a victory in the grueling war against former champion Rafael Marquez.
With expectations set high after the duo split their first two meetings, the third fight absolutely did nothing to disappoint. Although there would be no stoppage this time around, Israel Vasquez peeled himself off of the canvas to outwork Rafael Marquez en route to retaining his title via split decision.
Judge Max De Luca scored it 114-111 for Vazquez while Tom Kaczmarek had the same score for Marquez. James Jen Kin had Vazquez barely getting past his opponent 113-112. While the scores seem close, the closing rounds provided nail biting action and made it that much closer.
In front of a split Mexican contingency who roared before the first bell rang, Rafael Marquez started off fast and immediately took away the devastating left hook from his opponent. It didn’t take long for the two to exchange blows at a frantic pace. Vazquez constant pressure kept Marquez backing up but the challenger proved to do just as well moving backwards as the champion did moving forward. An early jab peppered Vazquez early as Marquez started off quickly. A hard lead right floored Vazquez in the 4th and the champion seemed to be in trouble before recovering and stunning Marquez with a fierce retaliation as the crowd went berserk.
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Each action packed round turned the epic battle into a war of attrition as the rounds flew by. A point deduction for low blows in the 10th proved to be the beginning of the end for Marquez but it would be the championship rounds that would spell his demise.
With Vazquez relentlessly pushing forward in the 11th, it seemed as if Marquez was finally slowing down. By round 12, the difference between the two fighters was beyond evident. A winded Marquez did his best to hang on as Vazquez launched barrages of punches like a man possessed. By the final minute, the crowd was on its feet wondering if Marquez would finish the fight. A lethal combination sent Marquez slumping into the corner with roughly ten seconds left as a standing eight count led to the final bell – and probably saved Marquez from being knocked out.
If it wasn’t for the knockdown in the final round, judge Kin would have scored the bout 113-113 for a draw but the knockdown, coupled with the point deduction, put Vasquez over.
Nobody could complain with the decision as an exciting fight almost begs for a fourth meeting. Both fighters said that they would welcome another fight. Realistically, it may not happen as grumblings of Marco Antonio Barrera coming out of retirement to face Israel Vazquez have surfaced in recent weeks. Marquez will watch his brother, Juan Manuel Marquez, square off with Manny Pacquiao before making a decision about his future.
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Regardless of what either fighter does next, their names will forever be intertwined for one of the greatest boxing trilogies in history.
