My find: I bet on Mexican boxers. Juan Manuel Marquez retires Young Mexican boxer
Mexico is a third world country where every second person is a beggar. In such conditions it is difficult to survive, but even more difficult to succeed. If we talk about sports in Mexico, then there are only two popular sports disciplines here, these are football and boxing. Moreover, in this country they are equal, which is extremely rare. After all, football is the most beloved game of mankind. However, not here. Boxing in this country is developed very seriously, and the Mexicans themselves adore this sport, like the Spaniards siesta. Over the past few decades, the whole world has learned about Mexican boxers. In terms of the popularity of names, they are in no way inferior to their American neighbors, however, as well as in terms of achievements. So what is it that caused such a rapid growth in the professionalism of Mexican boxers. There are several factors influencing this circumstance. The first of these is the anthropometric features of Hispanics. Historically, Mexicans do not have a high growth and an impressive physique, so they have very little chance of achieving success in the same American football or basketball. Hence, they bet on boxing. By the way, there are very few heavyweights among Mexicans. Most of them perform in the categories below welterweight. However, this does not negate their merits and merits. The second reason is difficult conditions life. As you know, Mexico is an extremely poor country, and not because people there are lazy and do not want to work, but because there is nowhere to work there. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to rise and stand firmly on your feet in this country. Boxing is a unique opportunity to rid yourself and your loved ones of a beggarly lifestyle, as well as to achieve something to be known and respected. The third factor is a special attitude towards fisticuffs. In Mexico, this direction is considered extremely revered, and Mexican boxers for the population are generally national heroes. Based on all of the above reasons, the Mexican, who chose the career of a boxer, is distinguished by incredible willpower, an unshakable spirit and a great desire for the goal. These athletes are very hardy and fast. Their trump card is close combat with lightning-fast series and footwork. Despite the fact that they do not have an impressive texture, Mexican boxers hold their own very well. strong blows and are able to withstand even against a powerful opponent. All this is confirmed by the fact that more than a hundred representatives of Mexico have already won international titles in various competitions. Among them are such names as: Marco Antonio Barrera, Rafael Marquez, Ricardo Lopez, "golden boy" Oscar De La Hoya and many others. These names are known all over the world. They were able to break out of difficult conditions and become champions. It should be noted that the career of the average Mexican fighter does not last long in amateur boxing. Starting around the age of 12, a teenager is rapidly increasing his skills and honing his technique. By the age of 20, such athletes achieve good results in amateur boxing, and by the age of 30, most of them are already performing in the professional ring. And they perform great. Many Mexican athletes become Olympic champions, some have multiple titles weight categories. Their country is proud and loves its heroes. Almost every Saturday, all of Mexico gathers at the TV screens to watch the next fight with the participation of their idols. And most of the time, they don't disappoint.
01.04.2016
When they talk about the achievements of Mexico in sports, they first of all mean boxing . Over the past twenty years, Mexico has given the boxing community dozens of names that will forever remain in the history of boxing.
Why boxing? It is believed that due to the fact that most Mexicans are short, they initially have less chance in some sports, such as basketball and football. Even in boxing itself, there are no Mexican heavyweight athletes, and again the Mexican constitution is the reason. On the other hand, all the famous Mexican boxers are famous for their speed, endurance, theywithstand strong impactsand know how to fight at a high pace from start to finish, prefer to box at close range.
Boxing is for Mexicans not just a spectator sport. First of all, this is a unique chance to achieve a goal through hard work, a chance to pull yourself and your relatives out of poverty. In Mexico, fisticuffs carry a huge social burden.
Therefore, it is not surprising that boxers in Mexico are elevated to the rank of national heroes. Boxing broadcasts have incredible ratings. Almost every Saturday, all of Mexico gathers around the TV to watch boxing performances. Only in this country of Latin America martial arts successfully compete with football. And although in Mexico there are no other significant reasons to rejoice in their sporting achievements, all this is more than made up for by the brilliant victories of Mexican boxers, more than a hundred of whom have already won world titles.
Some facts from history
The first boxing match took place in Mexico back in the early 1900s. And in 1933 José Luis Flores became first Mexican world champion in light welterweight. In the 70s, Mexican boxers declare themselves to the whole world, fighters Carlos Palomino and José Pipino Cuevas win world titles. Boxers take over Julio Cesar Chavez and Jose Luis Ramirez and also brought fame to their country in the 1980s and 1990s.
In Mexico it is not enough to be a professional boxer, you have to box in a certain style, to bequite tough and aggressiveto get the status of a great boxer. Over the last 20 years in all lightweight divisions, generally below welterweight (147 lbs), dominated by mexicans.
The top 10 best Mexican boxers in this review, of course, does not include all the worthy representatives of boxing in Mexico. It can take a long time to complete. So: let's take a look at some of the biggest names in Mexican boxing over the past 20 years.
1. Julio Cesar Chavez - 115 (107, 86 KOs)
Although his greatest achievements in sports are over 20 years old, Chavez still tops the list. best mexican boxers of today. He won and defended the WBC super featherweight title nine times, the WBC lightweight title, and the WBC and IBF super welterweight titles. He won twice Meldrick Taylor In addition, his fights with Greg Hogen, Frankie Randell, Edwin Rosario, Jose Luis Ramirez, Roger Mayweather and many other top fighters ended in victory.
His career began to decline after a controversial decision of the judges ended in a draw for the WBC title fight with Pernell Whitaker in 1993 (Whitaker dominated throughout the fight), then lost twice in the title fight to the Golden Boy. Oscar De La Hoya in 1996 and 1998, and then, in 2000, lost Konstantin Dzyu technical knockout.
Interesting fact: when his sons Julio Cesar Jr. and Omar were born and grew up a little, he took them into the ring before each of his fights.
2. Ricardo Lopez - 52 (51, 38 KOs)
The second of the boxers in the history of boxing who left the ring as undefeated champions (the first - Rocky Marciano). He spent 22 successful defenses his belt in the lowest possible weight, then received a second title in the first flyweight. Over the course of 16 years of his professional career, Lopez fought 51 fights, in which he won 50 victories (38 by knockout) and once brought the fight to a draw.
He owns resounding victories over Rosendo Alvarez, Will Grigsby and many others. The title of "great boxer" was given to him after the victory over Puerto Rican Alex Sanchez in 1997. Lopez last fought in 2001 against the South African Zolani Petelo and won by knockout in the 8th round. The press conference dedicated to his retirement from boxing was attended by the stars of both Mexican and world boxing. All local TV channels stopped their broadcasts to show this press conference.
Interesting fact: all of his best fights often came on the undercard of fights in the heavier weight classes.
3. Oscar De La Hoya - 45 (39, 30 KOs)
The career of this beloved boxer in the States, the Mexican-American took off not only due to efforts in the ring. De La Hoya proved that managerial ability, "working with the public" and the right choice of opponents can lead to glory faster than the ability to knock out in the ring. Thanks to numerous interviews, he attracted the attention of people completely far from boxing, and his fights on a pay cable channel subscribed by millions of fans. Instead of the image of a "gorilla in the ring" with dubious mental abilities (which boxers before him were compared to), he created the image of a smiling, charming "next door guy" who is always ready to communicate with the public.
Before his professional career, his track record consisted of 223 wins and 5 losses with incredible number of knockouts - 153. He won gold in the lightweight division at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the same year he made his professional debut. His first opponent, Lamar Williams, did not last even one round, losing by knockout.
1992-1999 were his triumph, he crushes one opponent after another, including aged stars Pernella Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez, wins titles: WBO junior lightweight, WBO lightweight, IBF lightweight, WBC junior welterweight, WBC welterweight.
At his fights, the audience simply went crazy, he bathed in the rays of glory, and advertisers and magazines themselves fled to him to sign multi-million dollar contracts. His nickname golden boy“Golden Boy was the best description of his ability to turn everything he touched into money.
The first defeat in the professional ring was inflicted on Oscar Felix Trinidad in 1999, taking the WBC welterweight title, which came as a surprise to many, and for De La Hoya, the beginning of the sunset. In 2000, he suffers a second defeat from Shayna Moseley, then another in a rematch. In 2004 he lost to Bernard Hopkins loses four titles AT ONCE that were at stake. Further, De La Hoya's life is more like a secular party, and not the life of a professional athlete. However, he returns to the ring twice. In 2007 he lost to Floyd Mayweather by split decision, and in 2008 he lost to Manny Pacquiao.
After that, he announces his retirement and focuses his attention on his own promotional company. GoldenBoyPromotions which was founded in 2001.
Interesting fact: De La Hoya had his third professional fight in Las Vegas. It usually takes professionals many years to do this.
Most of them start training in early childhood, followed by a fast and successful career as an amateur and a debut in the professional ring. By the age of 30, Mexican boxing stars, in general, are already achieving world recognition, however, there are several representatives to whom fame came much later.
So:
4. Eric Morales - 61 (52, 36 KOs)
Morales started training at the age of five, coached by his father, also a boxer. As an amateur, Morales had 114 fights, won 108 victories and was the champion of Mexico 11 times. In 1993, he made his debut in professional boxing and knocked out his opponent in the 2nd round, and two years later he won the title of champion of Mexico and NABF title.
From 1993 to 1997, his career in the bantamweight division quickly took off, he won 26 fights, with 20 knockouts, including victories over ex-champions Kenny Mitchell and Hector Azero Sanchez. Then Morales won the first world championship belt in his career and began to perform under the wing of promoter Bob Arum.
The list of his high-profile victories includes victories over: Marco Antonio Barrera, Kevin Kelly, Ying-Jin Chi, Gati Espadas Jr., Paulie Ayala, Jesus Chavez, Carlos Hernandez, Manny Pacquiao, Junior Jones.
A feature of Morales' style is that his defense can hardly be called the best, but at the same time he is able to withstand almost any blow, and delivers his own blows accurately and on time.
Morales became famous thanks to three fights with another popular Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. They first met in 2000, Morales' ninth time defending the super featherweight title. All 12 rounds of the fight were fought at a high pace, the fight was almost equal. Morales was knocked down in the 12th round. As a result, two judges gave the victory to Morales, which caused loud controversy among boxing experts and fans. Many believed that Barrera deserved to win. After that, Morales met with Barrera two more times in the ring, but both times he was defeated.
After the first fight with Barrera, Morales moved to next weight and in 2001, by unanimous decision, took away the belt from Gati Espadas, the current WBC featherweight champion. After a successful title defense against Ying-Jin Chi, Morales lost it in a rematch with Barrera. However, due to disagreements between Barrera and WBC management, the featherweight title was declared vacant.
After the fight with Ayala, Morales regained the featherweight title and after two successful defenses, moved up to the next weight. In 2004, Morales took the title from the WBC champion Jesus Chavez, winning on points.
FROM Manny Pacquiao Morales also met three times (in 2005 and twice in 2006), the first time he defeated a Filipino boxer, and the second two fights he lost by knockout.
From the last fights - Morales had a fight against Pablo Cesar Cano in 2011, which he won by technical knockout, as well as two fights with American Danny Garcia in 2012, which ended in the defeat of Morales.
Interesting fact: Outside of the ring, Morales is the manager of the Tijuana Parks and Recreation Department.
5. Marco Antonio Barrera - 75 (67, 44 KOs)
Barrera didn't stay amateur for long. After 56 victories and 5 titles won in Mexico, at the age of 15 (in 1989) he had his first professional fight against David Felix, who managed to resist only two rounds.
After spending 17 fights, he got the right to a title fight and became the champion in his homeland in the first bantamweight. Barrera defended his title 5 times and won the NABF title in 1993.
In 1995, Barrera finally gets the opportunity to fight for the world title. His opponent was WBO featherweight champion Daniel Jimenez. Barrera led the entire fight and won unanimously on points.
In 1996, Barrera successfully defeated former IBF champion Kennedy McKinney and then successfully defended the title three times. This was followed by two fights with by Junior Jones, Barrera lost the first fight by a crushing knockout, and lost the second on points.
In 1998, Barrera again won the WBO featherweight title by knocking out opponent Richie Wenton in the 3rd round and defended the title twice.
In 2000, Barrera faced fellow featherweight champion Eric Morales in the ring. The fight was supposed to unify the titles of the WBC and WBO versions. This fight was extremely tense and controversial, as a result, Morales was awarded the victory, although he was knocked down in the last round. This fight was the fight of the year. WBO appealed the referee's decision and went to an incredible move in boxing history- left the WBO championship belt with Barrera, tk. thought that Barrera won this fight!
After that, victories followed one after another, including two victories over the undefeated Morales in rematches, and after defeating the “undefeated prince of boxing” Naseem Hamed in 2001, Barrera acquires cult status at home.
Barrera's first sensational defeat was to Manny Pacquiao in 2003, his seconds had to stop the fight in round 11, then Barrera lost to Juan Manuel Marquez and again lost to Manny Pacquiao (this time on points).
Barrera's last fight took place in 2009, he defeated the Cuban Fradis Rojas, who landed a header in the 3rd round and was disqualified for it.
Interesting fact: In addition to being one of the best Mexican boxers of all time, Barrera also has the most unusual nickname in the ring: "Baby Face Killer".
6. Juan Manuel Marquez - 62 (55, 40 KOs)
Marquez's career took off at the age of 30, at an age when many boxers are already considering retirement. At the same time, Marquez became fourth Mexican boxer, who became world champion in four different weight categories. The first three were Barrera, Morales and Chavez.
In his professional featherweight debut in 1993, Marquez was disqualified in the first round and had to wait six years before a 1999 WBA featherweight title fight. The fight with Freddie Norwood was equal, but the judges unanimously awarded the victory to Norwood.
Only in 2003, Marquez again fights for the title, he goes against Manuel Medina and gets the vacant IBF featherweight title. Two fights later, he receives the WBA featherweight title by defeating Derrick Gainer by TKO in the seventh round.
Marquez was stripped of his IBF title in 2005 because no promoter was willing to put up a minimum of $50,000 for Marquez's mandatory title defense against the little-known but somehow called "best" Rakkiatjim Faprakorba. This fight was of no interest to anyone. At the same time, Marquez was stripped of his WBA title.
Over the next few years, Marquez holds the WBO featherweight title, the WBC super featherweight title against Marco Barrera, the RingMagazine lightweight title against Joel Casamayor, and the vacant WBO and WBA Super lightweight titles after knocking out Juan Diaz. The fight with Diaz became "Fight of the Year" (2008).
However, the main achievement of his career was epic showdown with Filipino Manny Pacquiao. They met four times. The first fight in 2004 ended in a draw, the second in 2008 in a split decision victory for Pacquiao, and both times this caused a storm of protests from the team and Marquez fans.
Before the third meeting with Pacquiao, Marquez suffers a crushing defeat on points from Floyd Mayweather (Marquez played at welterweight), then returns to lightweight and defends his titles in a rematch with Juan Diaz and in a duel with Michael Katsidis.
In 2011, Pacquiao and Marquez met for the third time in the fight for the WBO welterweight title. Marquez again loses the title by majority decision. Again, this decision was challenged. The fourth non-title fight of the longtime rivals took place in December 2012 and was called the "Fight for the title of the Best Boxer of the Decade". Marquez and Pacquiao competed in the welterweight division. The fight ended in victory for Marquez sensational knockout in round 6. Marquez finally celebrated an official victory over his main competitor.
Interesting fact: Before the fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2009, Marquez said that he drank his own urine: "It has a lot of protein and vitamins, why not drink them again." Before his third fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2011, Marquez said he stopped drinking his own urine on the advice of a doctor and exercise coach.
Following the expiration of his contract with GoldenBoy in early 2011, Marquez is a free agent under his own company, MarquezBoxingPromotions.
Michael Carbajal, a Mexican-American, became a four-time world boxing champion. His ring name Little Stone Hands in honor of his favorite Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran Stone Hands.
After a brilliant amateur career, Carbajal competed for the USA in 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, where he took silver medal, although many pundits thought he won the gold. In the first professional fight, Carbajal outboxed Will Grigsby, also a future world champion.
This was followed by a spectacular knockout victory in the first round over Silviano Perez. Carbajal smashed one opponent after another, and in his tenth fight he met former WBO world champion Pedro Feliciano, "making" it in 10 rounds. Four more victories followed, and America realized that she had risen new bantamweight star.
In 1990, Carbajal won the IBF bantamweight title. After six successful defenses, in 1993, Little Stone Hands met in the ring with WBC champion Humberto "Chikita" Gonzalez. This "Fight of the Year" was intense, Carbajal was knocked down twice, but got up and stopped the opponent in the seventh round, with this victory he partially unified the belts. After two successful title defenses, Carbajal faced González again in 1994 in a rematch and lost by controversial decision.
He then captured the WBO super flyweight title before losing to Chiquita again on points. Carbajal recovered from the loss and challenged Melchor Cob Castro to recapture the IBF title. He defended the title twice before losing it to Mauricio Pastrano in 1997. However, he competed in another championship in 1999 and stopped Jorge Arce in the 11th round by TKO to capture the WBO flyweight title. After this successful performance, Carbachal leaves the sport.
Carbajal currently owns and operates the NinthStreet Gym in his hometown of Phoenix.
Interesting fact: In 1994, despite losing to Gonzalez Chiquita and losing his belt, Carbajal became the first flyweight boxer to earn $1 million in a fight.
8. Israel Vazquez the Magnificent 49 (44, 32 KOs)
World Super Bantamweight Champion (IBF 2004-2005; WBC 2005-2007 and 2007-present). The debut fight took place in 1995.
In 1997 Vasquez was knocked out in the first round. undefeated Oscar Larios. After 5 years, in 2002, he again met with Larios in the ring. Vasquez was knocked down twice, and the second time (in round 12) the referee stopped the fight on the count of “four”. After the fight, Vasquez protested the referee's decision.
In 2004, Vazquez fought for the vacant IBF super flyweight title against José Luis Valbuena. Vasquez knocked out the opponent in the 12th round.
At the end of 2004, Vasquez also knocked out the undefeated Artem Simonyan in the 5th round.
In 2005, Vazquez entered the ring against Armando Guerera. In the first half of the fight, the challenger was in the lead, but the champion managed to turn the tide of the fight and the second half of the fight was his. Vasquez won by unanimous decision.
2005 ended with the third fight between Vazquez and world super flyweight champion Oscar Larios. Vazquez knocked out Larios in the 3rd round.
In 2006, Vasquez met in the ring with Johnny Gonzalez. Both opponents, the champion and the challenger, were knocked down twice when Gonzalez went up for a 9 in the 10th round, his corner threw in the white towel.
In 2007, the first fight between Vasquez and former IBF bantamweight world champion Rafael Marquez took place. The fight was tense, Marquez was knocked down in the 3rd round, but in the next round he answered all the opponent's punches. During the break after round 7, Vasquez announced to his corner that he had broken his nose and could not breathe. The fight was stopped. Victory for Marquez by technical knockout.
In the same year, a rematch between Vasquez and Marquez took place. The referee stopped the fight in the 6th round. Vasquez win. The fight was declared "Fight of the Year", as well as the third meeting of the opponents in 2008. Vasquez won again. The fourth fight in 2012 ended with the victory of Marquez.
9. Rafael Marquez - 49 (41, 37 KOs)
World champion in the bantamweight (IBF, 2003-2006) and super bantamweight (WBC, 2007). Younger brother of Juan Manuel Marquez. In his debut fight in 1995, Rafael Marquez lost by knockout in the 8th round to former WBC world bantamweight champion Victor Rabanales. In 2001, Marquez competed against American two-weight champion Mark Johnson. The fight was close, and the opinions of the judges were divided. However, on the same evening it turned out that there was an error in the counting of votes and after the next fight, Rafael Marquez was declared the winner.
The next few fights, Rafael Marquez confidently knocks out his rivals - Mark Johnson, undefeated IBF world bantamweight champion Tim Austin, Peter Frissina, Heriberto Ruiz, Mauricio Pastrana, undefeated South African Silence Mabuzu.
In 2007, Marquez fought the IBF bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez, initiating four-time series of their fights. Marquez won by technical knockout in the seventh round, because. Vasquez could not breathe due to a broken nose and announced the end of the fight. In the same year, the rivals met for the second time. The duel was very spectacular. In the 6th round, Rafael Marquez was knocked down, then got up and began to defend himself, moving to the ropes. Vazquez wanted to finish him off, but Marquez was still standing. The fight was ended by referee intervention. Marquez later protested the referee's decision.
In 2008, the 3rd duel between Marquez and Vazquez took place. The fight was no less spectacular than the previous two. Both opponents were knocked down. However, as a result, the judges decided that Vazquez looked better.
After this loss, Marquez recovered for a year, and then in 2009 he fought in the featherweight division against Jose Francisco Mendoza and won in the 3rd round by technical knockout. Soon the fourth Marquez-Vasquez fight was announced. Marquez won in the 3rd round by technical knockout and thus equalized the score of victories and defeats with his main opponent.
Rafael Marquez continues to box.
10. Jose Luis Castillo "El Temible" - 77 (64, 55 KOs)
He had his debut fight in 1990, but he became famous only 10 years later, in 2000, having managed to fight 44 fights before that. Before that it was known only as sparring partner of Julio Cesar Chavez with whom he worked for five years.
In 2000, Castillo got his first chance at a championship belt against famed lightweight Stevie Johnston. The duel was fierce and the victory went to Castillo by a majority vote. The Ring magazine gave this fight the status "Surprise of the Year".
Just a couple of months later, Castillo and Johnston had a rematch that ended in a draw, thus Castillo retained his title.
In April 2002, Castillo met in the ring with Floyd Mayweather. Castillo was faster, but all the judges favored Mayweather. Harold Lederman, who was an unofficial referee for HBO, felt that Castillo was the winner. After such a scandalous refereeing, Mayweather was not slow in rematching. In December of the same year, Castillo met again with Mayweather. Mayweather surpassed the opponent in speed and confidently won.
In 2004, Castillo beat Juan Lazcano on points and outplayed Cuban fast Joel Casamayor by split decision.
In 2005, he defeated Julio Diaz by knockout in the 10th round.
Also in 2005, Castillo opposed Diego Corrales. Both lightweights were very strong and no one wanted to give up. Corrales won by TKO in the 10th round, but the fight itself was controversial. Corrales was knocked down twice and spat out his mouth guard twice after that, for which he was deducted a point. However, after that, Corrales rose again and scored against Castillo. The fight was stopped. Its outcome was highly debated, with the referee's and Corrales' conduct heavily criticized. The WBC leadership insisted on a rematch, which took place a few months later. Castillo failed to make weight. Because of this, the fight was declared non-title. Castillo knocked out Corrales in the 4th round.
The final third fight between Castillo and Corrales was supposed to take place in 2006. However, Castillo again failed to meet the weight limit. The fight was cancelled.
In 2007, Castillo clashed with the undefeated Ricky Hatton. Hatton began to dominate from the first round and knocked out Castillo in the 4th round.
In 2008, Castillo and undefeated American Timothy Bradley were scheduled to meet in a qualifying bout for the WBC light welterweight title. However, Castillo did not make the weight and the fight was canceled, and Bradley became a contender for the title without a fight.
After losing in 2010 to Alfonso Gomez by knockout, Castillo announced his retirement saying he did not see his future in boxing, but returned the same year and scored several victories, followed by victories over Sammy Ventura in 2011 and Ivan Popoka in 2012.
At the moment, the 39-year-old Mexican is again thinking about leaving. In the last fight in February 2013, he lost on points to Antoine Smith.
Top 15 Mexicans
It would seem that it is necessary to single out the nationality of a fighter entering the ring only in terms of statistics and prestige for his homeland. But in the case of the Mexican boxers, there is something else worth knowing about. For many decades, athletes from this country have a solid representation in all light weight categories, and there have always been many champions among them. And what champions - legendary. Why is it worth paying attention to the Mexican in the ring? Because he is a godsend for a bettor.
Motivation is a terrible thing
Boxers from the USA have an excellent school, experienced trainers, equipped gyms throughout the country, access to high-class medicine, options to build their lives in abundance and without boxing. Another thing - athletes from Mexico. This country is much poorer than its northern neighbor, the criminalization of society is high level. In a hurry to grab their own from the proceeds of drug trafficking, young people go to numerous gangs, especially from large cities in the north of the country.
For many young Mexicans, life seems to be filled with hopeless hard work to death - just to escape from the strong embrace of poverty and even poverty. Sport becomes the only chance to get rich. Which of these young people do you think is more motivated to achieve: the American, for whom so far all expenses are paid by his parents and who monitors his diet and fitness, or the Mexican, who has only one goal - to fill up at least once before satiety?
Julio Cesar Chavez and his victory over poverty
The legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez won 107 victories in 115 fights in the ring, going through the crucible of the most brutal fights. He was loved by fans like no one before him and after. A successful fighter, he started his professional career at the age of 17! Time did not wait, the family was in desperate need. Chavez's father worked for railway, and the whole family lived in an abandoned carriage, and these are five more sisters and four brothers. Mother earned pennies by ironing the clothes of wealthier neighbors.
The motivation of the young Julio Cesar to change his life was overwhelming. In 1980, he had 10 fights, in 1981 - 12. For comparison, let's take the modern American young champion Jermela Charlo. To begin with, he went through an amateur school, at the age of 27 he became a professional, the largest number of fights in a year was five, despite the fact that the rivals were of a low level.
Chavez, on the other hand, already in the second year of his performances, had rivals who had more than thirty fights in his career. Already in 1984 (22 years old) Chavez was fighting for the champion belt, and this was his 44th fight in the ring! One of the best modern welterweight boxers Keith Thurman, the champion in two versions of WBC and WBA at the age of 29 has only 28 fights in the ring. The difference with Chavez is indicative.
When a hungry Mexican fighter enters the ring, the bettor should have no doubts about the quality of the fight. It happened that even well-trained elite fighters from Europe and the states simply break under their pressure. The player can take the risk of betting on the Mexican, even if the odds for his victory seem high.
When the invincible and popular Naseem Hamed faced the then little-known Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera, the bookmakers gave the latter 3.0 to win, preferring to see their favorite as the winner. But Barrera's firmness and downright Nordic composure helped him win a landslide victory over the Arab star Brit.
Not Chavez Alone
Another Mexican sports icon, Marco Antonio Barrera, made his professional debut at the age of 15. His eternal rival, Eric Morales, started boxing at the age of 5, had an impressive amateur career, and turned professional at 16. At the age of 15, the modern Mexican idol Saul Alvarez appeared on the professional ring. The Mexican ring itself is a real purgatory.
They fight to the death
The resilience of Mexican fighters is a fact that is useless to argue with. Often only the referee in the ring saves them from being beaten.
In order not to go far, let's take the example of the second opponent in the professional ring of the Ukrainian Vasily Lomachenko, the Mexican Orlando Salido. It was clear to everyone, without exception, that Vasily was three heads better than Salido as a boxer. But the Mexican showed characteristic national perseverance bordering on despair and extraordinary fortitude. In the 12th round, he was on the verge of a knockdown, but did not stop and brought the fight to the end. He won it on the moral-volitional. And after all, the omniscient William Hill gave a coefficient of only 1.2 for the victory of the Ukrainian, while on Salido - as much as 4.5.
You should definitely remember Juan Manuel Marquez, the brightest representative of the Mexican boxing of the new century. The stamina of this athlete can be seen as an example of the behavior of a typical Mexican in the ring. Americans call such hard-nosed, that is, tough, implacable, resolute.
In the first fight with Manny Pacquiao, Marquez hit the floor three times (!!!) in the first round, but each time he calmly got up and rushed into the thick of the fight. Which, by the way, ended in a draw. Their tetralogy with the Filipino was like a meat grinder, but no one ever saw even a shadow of uncertainty on the face of little Marquez.
And there are a lot of Mexicans in the ring
Due to anthropometric data, Mexicans more often fill lighter weight categories. Take for example the rating of the WBA boxing organization for the second half of 2017. In the featherweight division, there are two champions (super champion and regular) - Santa Cruz and Mares. In the top ten - Jorge Lara. In the second bantamweight in the top ten again three Mexicans - Flores, Navaretti and Diego de la Hoya. Two boxers from Mexico in the top flyweight and first flyweight. And how many of them beyond the top ten are waiting for their chance in the big ring!
betting on mexican boxers
In boxing, technique is not everything. The spirit of a boxer is no less important. The bettor can count on the average Mexican boxer not to give up on continuing the fight and fight to the end, while the opponent may falter. He will be ready for battle, charged and purposeful.
The Mexican school of boxing is not inherent in fighting at arm's length, a tough fight at medium and close distances with an abundance of blows to the body is welcome. If a fighter also has the technique, then he becomes such a star as Saul Alvarez. When placing a bet, you should never underestimate the Mexican, remembering the often difficult path they go through before getting a coveted chance to fight in the main sporting event of the evening somewhere in Las Vegas.
Mexican boxers are my random find. But she works! If you have similar interesting finds, share them in the comments.
A Mexican named Dynamite. Marquez retired from boxing
One of the most famous Mexican boxers, multiple world champion Juan Manuel Marquez has retired from fighting.
A few days ago, the ex-world champion announced the end of his boxing career. The 43-year-old Mexican still planned to enter the ring, but constant injuries and other health problems prevented him from doing so. As a result, Marquez, whose ring name was Dynamite, realized that his sports career was over and made the difficult decision for himself to hang up his gloves on a nail.
Juan Manuel fought his last fight in May 2014 when he defeated Mike Alvarado by unanimous decision. But most of all, boxing fans remember Marquez, of course, for the magnificent tetralogy with the great Filipino Manny Pacquiao, for whom this skilled Mexican counterpuncher turned out to be a very uncomfortable opponent. In their last meeting in the ring, Marquez was able to send Pacman to a deep knockout, which will remain the most vivid and unforgettable memory of his boxing career.
Start
Juan Manuel Mendez Marquez was born on August 23, 1973 in the capital of Mexico, the 20 millionth city of Mexico City, in a large family. His father, Rafael Marquez Sr., was once a professional boxer himself and from an early age instilled a love for boxing in his sons. Juan Manuel began to seriously engage in boxing at less than 12 years old. His amateur career was not very eventful and fruitful. It has about three dozen victories and one defeat. During performances in amateurs, his father was his coach.
In 1992, Juan Manuel even applied for a trip to Barcelona as part of the Mexican Olympic team. But in the process of preparation, he had friction with officials from the local Olympic Committee, and Juan decided to stop performing as amateurs and turn to professionals. Thus, Juan Manuel failed to achieve any serious success in amateur boxing.
Before Juan entered the pro ring, his father decided to find a more qualified coach for his son than himself. Rafael Sr. chose the famous mentor of Mexican champions Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, who coached in different time such Mexican pro-ring stars as Julio Cesar Chavez, Ricardo Lopez, Michael Carbajal, Daniel Zaragoza, Victor Rabanales and others. Rafael Sr. and Nacho often met in the same boxing gym and were good friends. Marquez Sr. decided to entrust the career of his son to Beristain.
Help "Championship"
(56-7-1, 40 KOs)
Achievements: IBF world champion (2003-2005), WBA (2003-2005) and WBO (2006-2007) featherweight champion, WBC world champion (2007-2008) lightweight, WBA world champion (2009-2012) and WBO (2009-2012) lightweight, WBO world champion (2012-2013) light welterweight, best boxer world 2012 according to The Ring magazine.
Statistics of fights for the title of world champion: 12-5-1.5 KOs.
Start in pro box
In May 1993, when Juan Manuel was 19 years old, he became a professional boxer. Despite frequent performances and success in the ring, Juan continued to work as an accountant for a long time at one of the state enterprises of the capital of Mexico. He was busy full time and could only train after work or on weekends. For a couple of years he left his job and concentrated exclusively on boxing, but then returned again and worked as an accountant right up to 2000.
In the 1st pro fight, Juan had an opportunity - he lost it due to disqualification. But it was a controversial decision. Speaking to his audience, Juan briskly began the fight. He began to dominate the ring and almost immediately cut the face of his opponent Javier Duran. The doctor intervened and, after examining Duran's cut, recommended that the fight be stopped. As a result, Marquez was disqualified, although the cut was formed by his opponent as a result of a mutual clash of heads.
But Juan Manuel was not particularly upset about this and a month later he entered his second pro fight, in which he knocked out his opponent in the 3rd round. Marquez continued to crush the next rather weak opponents, entering the ring at his home in Mexico City. But after 8 professional fights, Juan Manuel decides to compete in the US rings. And at the end of 1994, he successfully made his debut in Las Vegas, knocking out another little-known opponent. Three years after his pro debut, Marquez first met the former Dominican world champion. Julio Gervasio, whom he knocked out in the 8th round. Then Juan Manuel continued to enter the ring quite intensively, scoring one victory after another, including over two more ex-world champions - the Dominican Agapito Sanchez and Ghanaian by Alfred Coty.
The first pancake is lumpy
Finally, in only 31 professional fights, in September 1999, Juan Manuel got a chance to challenge the WBA featherweight world title, which was owned by an undefeated American Freddie Norwood nicknamed Little Hagler. This was Marquez's first fight to be broadcast on HBO. The fight turned out to be difficult for both opponents. Throughout the meeting, they waged a tactical struggle among themselves. First, in the 2nd round, Marquez was knocked down. But then Dynamite began to put pressure on the American. He pressed and handled the champion for most of the fight. The high pace paid off in the 9th round, when Norwood was already on the floor. Marquez was confident in his victory, but the sympathy of the judges turned out to be on the side of the American, who unanimously gave him the victory with a score of 114-112, 115-111 and 117-112.
In a post-match interview, Marquez said, “I think I won that fight. I pressured him all night long. I thought I did the best things, but I don't worry too much about what happened. I'm looking ahead." After this defeat in the championship fight, Marquez did not take a long pause in his performances and two months later he entered the ring again, defeating the Argentine Remigio Molina TKO in the 8th round. A little later, Marquez forced the former two-time world champion from Puerto Rico to surrender in the 7th round. Daniel Jimenez.
World title win
In March 2002, Marquez won an early victory over the Australian who became the future world champion Robbie Peden, whom he whipped so that after the end of the 10th round he simply threw up when he came to his corner and sat on a stool. Thus, Juan Manuel became the official contender for the IBF world featherweight title. On February 1, 2003, Dynamite made his second attempt at the world title. Marquez's opponent in the fight for the vacant IBF belt was his compatriot - at that time a former four-time world featherweight champion, a participant in 17 fights for world titles Manuel Medina.
Marquez could have become a world champion long ago if not for the poor management of his career. As good as Nacho Beristain was as a coach, he was as weak as a manager. It took Juan Manuel 42 pro fights and almost 10 years of pro career to get his first world title. Bookmakers estimated the probability of Dynamite's victory at a ratio of 5 to 1. And Marquez clearly dominated his opponent. In the course of the fight, Medina was knocked down twice and in the 7th round, beaten and whipped, he was given a technical knockout defeat.
After the fight, Juan Manuel said: “I have been waiting for this title for many years. I thought that I would finish this fight already in the 2nd round, but, like all Mexican fighters, Medina showed that he had a big heart ... ”After that, the boxing community finally began to recognize Marquez. And he gradually began to emerge from the shadow of his compatriots who shone in the ring at that time - Marco Antonio Barrera and Eric Morales. It is curious that the younger brother of Juan Manuel - Rafael Marquez, just two weeks after winning the world title by his older brother, also became the world champion for the first time in his career (in the bantamweight according to IBF).
Unification of belts
Shortly thereafter, Marquez's promoter, head of Top Rank Bob Arum, managed to agree with the team of another world featherweight champion - a black American Derrick Gainer, who took the WBA world title just from the offender Juan Manuel Freddy Norwood and ended his career by holding a unification bout. The bookmakers considered Marquez to be the favorite of the fight in the ratio of 3 to 1. But as such, the fight did not work out. Derrick Gainer that evening I thought that he did not go out to a boxing match, but to a marathon race. For the entire seven rounds that the fight lasted, he persistently "pedaled his bike backwards", avoiding the fight, only defending himself and throwing very few punches.
Dynamite tried to catch up with Gainer, but Derrick ran too fast. The audience showed dissatisfaction, the rounds were lost, but Gainer did not even think about starting a fight. Constantly pressing Marquez still occasionally got his opponent with his blows. In the 7th round, after a mutual clash of heads, Gainer's forehead was severely cut. The bout was abandoned and the referees ruled technical solution, according to which, with a score of 70-63, 70-63 and 69-64, the victory was awarded to Marquez. In a post-match interview, Juan Manuel, who unified the titles, said: "I expected a much tougher fight, but the guy just didn't want to fight me."
Premiere fight with Pac-Man
After this fight, Marquez did not begin to exchange for the defense of his belts in battles with passing opponents, but boldly began to look for meetings with the newly minted featherweight king, an aggressive Filipino puncher Manny Pacquiao, who shortly before destroyed Mexican boxing star and former featherweight king Marco Antonio Barrera. The fight between Marquez and Pacquiao took place on May 8, 2004 at the famous MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Even then, Juan Manuel was 30 years old. Dynamite was preparing for the fight in the famous boxing gym Romanza Gym, which belongs to his permanent mentor Nacho Beristain and is located in Mexico City.
The bookmakers favored Pacquiao, but by a small margin. The chances of the Filipino winning were calculated at a ratio of 3 to 2. Pac-man was already called the "Mexican Killer", but Marquez's fighting style was different from the style inherent in the vast majority of Mexican pro boxers, who prefer aggressive and straightforward fighting. Juan Manuel's boxing virtues were a neat and concentrated boxing style, he was able to deliver sharp and accurate combinations of hard punches with both hands, acting, as a rule, in a counterattacking manner, and he was also a good body puncher, he was always at the peak of functional readiness, he was collected in battle and focused, as well as having excellent stamina and patience.
The fight itself turned out to be very exciting and spectacular. Already in the first round, Marquez visited the floor of the ring three times. But the referee Joe Cortez gave him a chance to redeem himself. And Juan Manuel took advantage of this opportunity. Boxing with a broken and bleeding nose, he managed to adapt to Pacquiao's killer style for many other fighters and give an equal fight. According to the results of 12 rounds allotted by the regulations, the judges' notes turned out to be a draw: 115-110, 110-115 and 113-113. True, the minister of Themis, who put up a draw, estimated the 1st round, in which Marquez was in three knockdowns, with a score of 10-7, and not, as expected, 10-6. In that case, Pacquiao would have won.
On the road to fame
But be that as it may, after such a performance that both fighters demonstrated in that battle, Marquez's popularity and recognition in the boxing world increased dramatically. He finally won the recognition of the public, which had previously ignored him. Prior to this, Juan Manuel, even in his own Mexico, was relatively little known, and more recognizable in the US than at home. Of course, the question of holding a rematch immediately arose, but the second fight between Dynamite and Pac-man took place only four years after their first fight in the ring.
AT next fight Marquez confidently defeated the future multiple world champion, his compatriot Orlando Salido, on points. And in March 2006, Juan Manuel went to Indonesia, where he was held by the judges in a fight with a local undefeated star. Chris John. Then Marquez not only lost the title of world champion, but, again, due to the poor performance of the manager, he also received a meager fee.
A year later, Juan Manuel went into battle with star compatriot Marco Antonio Barrera. The bout was competitive and seemed much more equal than it was judged by the side official judges, who unanimously gave the victory to Marquez with a score of 116-111, 116-111 and 118-109. Thus, Dynamite again became the world champion, having captured the WBC title already in the first light weight.
Times of great trials
It was this world title that was at stake in the second meeting in the ring between Marquez and Pacquiao, which took place in March 2008 and ended with the victory of the Filipino by a split decision of the judges with a minimum difference in points - 112-115, 115-112, 114-113. Juan Manuel once again confirmed his stylistic inconvenience for the great Pac-Man. In the next fight, Dynamite dealt with the already aged, but still stubbornly resisting the famous Cuban ex-world champion Joel Casamayor. The fight between the two counterpunchers turned out to be very interesting and ended with Marquez's victory by technical knockout in the 11th round.
In this fight, Juan Manuel tried out a new one for himself - light weight. And in February 2009, he entered the ring to challenge the title of world champion in the said division according to the WBA, WBO and IBO versions from the famous Mexican-American Juan Diaz. A magnificent, action-packed and stubborn fight ended with an early victory for Marquez in the 9th round. This time can be called the peak of Dynamite's career. In the ranking of the best active boxers in the world, regardless of weight, Juan Manuel then took 2nd place after Manny Pacquiao.
Only the former king of the P4P rating, the black American Floyd Mayweather Jr., who pulled Juan Manuel to welterweight and defeated him on points with a score of 120-107, 119-108 and 118-109. After that, Marquez returned to lightweight and again fought Juan Diaz, this time defeating him by unanimous decision and defending the WBA and WBO world titles. And in November 2010, Juan Manuel held another successful defense of these titles, having dealt with the charismatic Australian grunt in nine incomplete rounds. Michael Katsidis.
Historic knockout
Exactly one year later, Marquez entered the third fight with Pacman, which took place in the welterweight division, again turned out to be very stubborn and ended with the victory of the Filipino by a majority decision - 115-113, 114-114 and 116-112. And a year later, in December 2012, old friends met in the ring for the fourth and last time. Before the fight, the youngest from Marquez for five years, Pacquiao was considered the bookmakers' unconditional favorite. However, the 39-year-old Dynamite fully justified his ring name.
The battle again went on a collision course. For every leap Pacmana Marquez responded with his own counterattack. In the 3rd round, Juan Manuel managed to knock down the Filipino for the first time in their entire confrontation. However, in the 5th three-minute period, the referee had already opened the score for Marquez himself. And the 6th segment of the battle turned out to be final. It seemed that Pacquiao had already taken the initiative into his own hands and began to dominate, however, Juan Manuel managed to catch the opponent, who had lost his vigilance for a moment, with an exemplary counterpunch from the right to the jaw, after which the Filipino fell face forward under the ropes of the ring and could not recover for quite some time.
The moment of this triumph of Marquez will certainly go down in boxing history. At the end of the year, The Ring magazine recognized this fight. the best fight of the year, and Marquez - the author of the best knockout of the year and the best fighter of the year. After that, Juan Manuel has repeatedly stated that even the offer of a fee of $ 100 million will not force him to enter the ring with Pacquiao again, because he wants to end this legendary confrontation on such a spectacular and triumphant note. And he kept his promise, even though Pac-Man's team repeatedly asked him for a rematch.
End of boxing career
Almost a year later, Marquez returned to the ring to try for a world title in his fifth weight class, but to defeat a very good black fighter Timothy Bradley he didn't succeed. Having suffered a defeat on points in that fight, Juan Manuel only once appeared in the ring when in May 2014 he won a landslide victory on points over the Mexican-American ex-world champion Mike Alvarado.
And now Marquez said that the decision to end his boxing career was very difficult and difficult, because over the years the ring has become his home, which he is now forced to leave.
Without a doubt, Juan Manuel will be inducted into the most famous and prestigious Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota from the very first entry. The main activity of Marquez in last years is a job as a commentator and expert on television broadcasts of boxing. Juan Manuel is also a little involved in politics, being a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party of Mexico, one of the leading parties in the country, which is a member of the Socialist International. And in ordinary life, he will now devote more time to his family: his beloved wife Erica, daughter Alison and sons Aldo and Juan.
Mexican school of boxing and aggressive style of close combat
Mexican School of BoxingBoxing in Mexico is developed quite seriously, and the Mexicans themselves adore this sport. Over the past few decades, the whole world has learned about Mexican boxers. So what is it that caused such a rapid growth in the professionalism of Mexican boxers.
There are several factors influencing this circumstance. The first of them is the anthropometric features of Latin American boxers. It so happened that the Mexicans do not have high growth and an impressive physique, so they have very little chance of achieving success in the same American football. Hence, they bet on boxing. There are very few heavyweights among Mexicans. Most of them perform in the categories below welterweight. However, this does not beg their merits and merits.
The second reason is the difficult living conditions. As you know, Mexico is a rather poor country. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to rise and firmly gain a foothold in this country. Boxing is a unique opportunity to rid yourself and your loved ones of a beggarly lifestyle, as well as to achieve something to be known and respected.
The third factor is a special attitude towards fisticuffs. In Mexico, this direction is considered extremely revered, and Mexican boxers for the population are generally national heroes.
Based on all of the above reasons, the Mexican, who chose the career of a boxer, is distinguished by incredible willpower, an unshakable spirit and a great desire for the goal. These athletes are very hardy and fast. Their trump card is close combat with lightning-fast streaks and footwork. Despite the fact that they do not have an impressive texture, Mexican boxers perfectly hold strong blows and are able to withstand even against a powerful opponent.
All this is confirmed by the fact that more than a hundred representatives of Mexico have already won international titles in various competitions. It should be noted that the career of the average Mexican fighter does not last long in amateur boxing. Starting around the age of 12, a teenager is rapidly increasing his skills and honing his technique. By the age of 20, such athletes achieve good results in amateur boxing, and by the age of 30, most of them are already performing in the professional ring. And they perform great. Many Mexican athletes become Olympic champions, some have titles in several weight categories at once. Their country is proud and loves its heroes.