The Great & The Good: Marquez Remains Champion After Vegas War
The great Juan Manuel Marquez turned back a spirited challenge from number one contender Michael Katsidis on Saturday evening yet there were no losers to be found beneath the MGM Grand ring lights. Marquez, Katsidis and third man Kenny Bayless all brought their A-games, yet it was the finest Mexican fighter of his generation who ultimately grabbed the spoils.
The fans in attendance also hit the jackpot, snaffling a golden ticket to one of the finest fights of the year.
Katsidis provided the bout’s storyline yet at thirty seven, the remarkable lightweight king from Distrito Federal didn’t much approve of the ending he had in mind. After dedicating the battle to his recently departed sibling Stathi, some wondered how Katsidis would cope with the burden he’d been forced to nurse through a torturous training camp.
The answer was a positive one and in all honesty Katsidis fought about as perfectly as he could have hoped to. With trainer Brendon Smith nagging him from the corner, Katsidis stuck to the gameplan like glue. He closed the distance quickly, moved his head (although had to be reminded about it at times from the voluble Smith), threw short chopping overhand rights and rolled dilligently to set up his hooks. He was intense also, fiercely so.
Marquez, looking majestic in black attire with gold trim, nicked the first two sessions regardless. His use of the left hand was masterful with jabs, hooks and rangy liver shots all whistling home. Katsidis bristled with power, a coiled spring pressurising not only to win rounds but to inflict hurt, yet the unflappable champion refused to be intimidated.
Katsidis upped the pace in the second, sellotaping himself to the back-pedalling Marquez who zoned in downstairs in a bid to shoot out the Aussie’s tyres. The pair traded walloping body shots and just as it appeared that Katsidis might take the round, Marquez fired off one of his signature combinations, peppering the challenger’s head and body.
Round three was a classic. Marquez began by digging in left hooks and stinging jabs as the pair circled each other mid-ring. Suddenly, Katsidis dipped under a right hand, rolled to his left and detonated a screaming left hook which flattened the champion, nailing him to the canvas. “That’s the one”, barked Smith and for the briefest of moments, it appeared as though the title might change hands.
Marquez, though, has other worldly recuperative powers. His slow motion return from oblivion was reminiscent of a scene from The Terminator, during which the Schwarzenegger character rises improbably to its feet after being blasted through a shop window.
Katsidis went straight after him once referee Kenny Bayless had finished administering his standing count, penning Marquez in along the ropes before winging in hooks and uppercuts. Marquez though, brilliant in crisis management, landed some beautiful left hooks himself and by the end of the session he’d not only steadied the ship but had uncorked an extended, machine-like burst of punches in defiance.
The next few rounds were utterly compelling, with both fighters ramming home crunching shots, Katsidis on the front foot, Marquez shuffling backwards before stopping still at points to retaliate in kind.
The champion’s advantage came when he switched to his wonderful combination punching. Happy enough to go tit-for-tat with Katsidis in the slugging stakes, he positively soared whenever he committed to a volley, rendering the contest one of shotgun versus blunderbuss.
Katsidis stuck to his task gamely, yet the sheer toil required in applying constant pressure, rolling, shifting position, moving his head and swatting with all of his might began to take its toll. In contrast, Marquez was the epitome of poise. Midway through the seventh it looked as if the challenger’s sheer physicality had allowed him to seize control as he repeatedly cornered Marquez before chopping away at him in close. The Mexican fought adeptly off the strands though, positioning his head close to his man’s left shoulder and away from danger before countering expertly.
Katsidis had a very good eighth, taking the round, yet as he attempted to build on his success in the ninth, he charged onto an arrowing right hand which appeared to catch him behind the left ear and immediately caused him to list. Marquez, a marvellous finisher, picked him apart from there on in. Precision personified he refused to allow the challenger to escape from his hook and after a protracted working over, referee Bayless made an expert call in halting matters at the 2:14 mark.
Katsidis probably put forth his finest performance in defeat. It brought to mind Iran Barkley’s heartbreaking loss to Roberto Duran in the very best battle of 1989, after the Bronx slugger had himself fought his own perfect fight, only to find himself eclipsed by greatness.
That’s what special fighters can do and Marquez, king of the lightweights, is very definitely that.
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