Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Robbie Peden, March 9, 2002
Robbie Peden was sick when he entered the ring against Marquez, and Marquez made him pay dearly. While Peden kept hitting, it seemed only Marquez was managing to connect. At the end of the 10th round, Beden began throwing up blood and the officials immediately stopped the fight, awarding the technical knockout to the Mexican.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manuel Medina, Feb. 1, 2003
Manuel Medina was the undefeated challenger, but Marquez took care of that. The most impressive point in the fight came with a strong uppercut in the eighth round from which Medina never fully recovered. The fight was ended at the end of the ninth round due to a cut on Medina’s face. With the victory, Marquez took his first featherweight title.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs Marcos Licona, Aug. 16, 2003
Upon defeating Licona, Marquez continued a streak of three consecutive wins against Mexican fighters and inched closer to being an elite boxer with the ninth-round knockout. It was also an important fight in setting up the next fight on this list.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao I, May 8, 2004
Juan Manuel Marquez used his technique to stop the speed and power of Manny Pacquiao, who brought little diversity in his attack. Marquez dominated the later rounds but it was not enough to overcome the three knockdowns Pacquiao delivered in the first round. The fight ended in a controversial draw.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, March 17, 2007
With his first change of divisions to the super featherweight division, Marquez got an impressive victory over Marco Antonio Barrera to secure his place as one of the best Mexican fighters of the moment. With the win, he took the world title, and due to an injury to his mandated challenger, he was able to secure a rematch with Manny Pacquiao.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao II, March 15, 2008
Marquez’s career was undoubtedly been shaped by his rivalry with Pacquiao, being one of the few fighters that has consistently given Pacquiao trouble. The rematch did not dissapoint, with a close and agressive fight that saw knockdowns by both sides. Pacquiao ultimately took the victory, possibly due to a significant knockdown in the eighth round.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Joel Casamayor, Sept. 13, 2008
Marquez continued the tradition of the best Mexican fighters stepping into the ring during the Independence weekend. Casamayor was the legitimate lightweight champion and Marquez had just made his change to the division. While Marquez had problems adapting at first, he recovered to knockdown Casamayor twice on his way to a 12 round win.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs Juan Diaz, July 21, 2010
In the rematch of the 2010 fight of the year, both fighters came to hit hard. Marquez retained his title, connecting the most shots and physically damaging his opponent, despite being 10 years his elder. Marquez took the victory with a unanimos decision. Diaz, who had lost four of his last six fights, retired to focus on his law degree.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs Floyd Mayweather Jr., Sept. 19, 2009
Mayweather came out of retirment to face Marquez in a fight labeled Number One/Numero Uno, since Mayweather was the best pound-for-pound boxer (according to his handlers) and Marquez was the top Mexican boxer. Marquez was not able to take away Mayweather’s unbeaten record and lost in aunanimous decision. Mayweather had arrived 2 pounds overweight to the weigh in but was not fined due to a clause in his contract.
Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis, Nov. 27, 2010
The fight between Marquez and Katsudis was considered to be the fight of the year by many. Katsudis came to honor his brother, who had died a month before, and came out punching, knocking down Marquez. Marquez did not give in and the two began exchanging puches until Katsidis ran out of gas in the ninth round and could no longer respond. Ofificials stopped the fight and Marquez became the oldest champion in the lightweight division.
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