LAS VEGAS – After a dark month that didn’t include much more than the sad spectacle of watching Shannon Briggs endure a terrible beating from Vitali Klitschko, November dawns with fighters and a fight, Juan Manuel Lopez-versus-Rafael Marquez, with all of the elements that have been missing in action.
Lopez, a Puerto Rican, and Marquez, a Mexican, haven’t said much. They haven’t had to.
A Fight-of-the- Year possibility is real in a featherweight bout at the MGM Grand on Showtime Saturday night in a classic confrontation at the crossroads. There’s the 35-year-old old Marquez in a battle to extend his career before turning toward a retirement that is destined to take him into the Hall of Fame. In the opposite corner, there is the 27-year-old Lopez, who is eager to just move into a position that one day might allow him to be where Marquez is now.
“Without a doubt, I know he’s coming to prove that he’s still at the same level,’’ the fighter best known as JuanMa said on a conference call. “I’m out to prove that I’m at the same level he’s at. …I can’t see how it will not be a good fight. We both have a lot to prove. We’re willing to give up everything in the ring.”
Like any good fight, plenty of intrigue is offered by a collection of subplots. Lopez-Marquez looks as if it will be another chapter in a rivalry, Puerto Rico-versus-Mexico, as rich in tradition as any. Flags will fly. So, too, will the fists, some of which promise to result in knockdowns. Playing-it-safe is Chad Dawson’s game, which has never been played by JuanMa.
The unbeaten lefthander (29-0, 26 KOs) has been down, off his feet in the first round against Bernabe Concepcion and victorious in the second. Lopez courts trouble, which is part of the attraction. If the danger isn’t there and always imminent, there’s no reason to watch.
“I see how strong and powerful he is,’’ Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) said. “But I also see his weaknesses. I see that he has a weak chin. So we have to take advantage of that and put our punches together and use a lot of combinations. I have to use all of my experience and all of my power and all my intelligence in the ring to get to him. It’s a winnable fight, no question.’’
From this seat, Lopez-Marquez looms as the best of a loaded Holiday card, which includes Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex., the Paul Williams-Sergio Martinez rematch on Nov. 20 in Atlantic City, Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis on Nov. 27 and Amir Kahn-Marcos Maidana on Dec. 11.
There’s plenty on the plate, almost too much. Pacquiao’s crossover celebrity – he’s an intercontinental star – takes away some of the attention on Lopez-Marquez, which would have captured more of the headlines if it had happened on Sept. 18. But a postponement was forced by an inadvertent injury suffered by Marquez, who hurt his thumb in a car door. But it’s the first in a revival after a recession, an Octoberflop. After it’s all over, I suspect first will rank as the best.
It’s a lot easier to pick Lopez-Marquez as a Fight-of-the-Year contender than it is to pick a winner. Lopez has never encountered anybody with Marquez experience, smarts and instincts. Like his brother Juan Manuel, Rafael has a predatory eye for weaknesses and there are many in Lopez’ aggressive pursuit.
But there also are haunting questions about Marquez. How much is left? His battles with Israel Vazquez were as bruising as they are memorable. There had to be price. It was evident in May that Vazquez had paid in full when he fell within four rounds against Marquez. The bout hinted at two possibilities:
A) — With the victory, Marquez proved he has a lot more left than some thought.
B) — He looked so good simply because Vazquez is beyond his prime.
If it’s B, JuanMa moves forward on a path to the kind of Puerto Rican stardom enjoyed by his idol, Felix Trinidad.
If it’s A, expect a rematch.
The hunch here is that Lopez will temper some of his aggressiveness and win a late-round stoppage against an aging Marquez in a contender for Fight of the Year, which is the best pick of all.
NOTES, QUOTES
· It looks as if Filipino Congressman Pacquiao’s political punch is also potent. Five days after endorsing Nevada Senator Harry Reid at a Las Vegas campaign stop, Reid knocked out Republican challenger and tea-party darling Sharron Angle. Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said Pacquiao’s appearance with Reid energized the Filipino and Hispanic vote. Vegas’ Filipino population is about 30,000. The city’s Hispanic community numbers about 130,000. Reid, a Democrat and the Senate’s majority leader, won by about 40,000 votes.
· An order-of-protection filed by Hall of Fame junior-flyweight Michael Carbajal and girlfriend Laura Hall against neighbors Josephine Carbajal, Michael’s niece, and Jose Espinal was upheld Tuesday at a Phoenix hearing. Josephine played a recording in an attempt to show a pattern of domestic abuse at Michael Carbajal’s home. But the recording was discredited in testimony from Hall. The voice of Michael’s son and the barking of his dog were heard on the tape. Neither was in the house at the time Josephine said the recording was made. Michael Carbajal is battling to gain ownership of 12 properties he says were purchased by brother and ex-trainer Danny Carbajal with money he earned in the ring. Danny is in prison for a conviction on charges he stole an estimated $2 million.
· And keep your day job, which is either in the ring, or the Filipino Congress, or both. Wherever it is, it’s not in music. At least, Margarito doesn’t think so. Margarito said he didn’t see Pacquiao join Will Ferrell in a rendition of the Beatles song, Imagine, the other night on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. Apparently, he didn’t have to. “All I can tell you is that he is a better boxer than he is a singer,’’ Margarito said. “I think maybe he should dedicate himself more to boxing.’’
