While the title of this article is actually intended to mock the Showtime announcer/carnival barker Steve Albert, in fact it's true: what a fight! It's nice when a fight lives up to it's billing and when it's the rubber match of a trilogy between two Ring top ten P4P fighters, it's all the better. This past Saturday night just such a fight was shoddily broadcast on Showtime and the quality of the matchup and the hearts and skills of the fighters shone through.
Everybody who watched the first two fights knew that Vasquez hits harder. Marquez knew it. Marquez also knew he was a little faster and a bit better boxer. So that's why we witnessed the power puncher Vasquez chase Marquez almost all night. The "almost" applied to the last two rounds when, while Marquez seems to be saying he coasted (when he shouldn't have), Vasquez finally wore Marquez down. What Marquez tried to spin in the post-fight as calculating care was obviously to the observer a fighter who could run, dodge, dance and jab for 10 rounds...but not for all 12.
These guys fought all night. Marquez stuck and moved, while Vasquez relentlessly advanced. Vasquez ate a lot of leather for his trouble and you've got to be a very tough man to absorb as many clean shots from a fighter of Marquez' caliber, walk through them and keep pursuing...but that's exactly what Vasquez did. From the outset, Marquez' jab was sharp and he circled, beating Vasquez to the punch over and over. But as early as the second round, it was clear that the reason he was moving so much was to stay off the ropes and to avoid getting caught. Now...this is a legitimate boxer's tactic and on balance a good one against a puncher whom you can't walk down. But there's no easy road against a hard puncher and of the two ways to go, staying away and outboxing a puncher is the more tiring. By fight's end, Marquez' choice showed and although he'd done a lot of damage himself, the damage he'd absorbed showed more clearly. He'd done what he could to even it up...even bending the rules, but it wasn't enough.
Marquez hit Vasquez low. Was it to slow him down? Well...Vasquez never did it and they were in the same ring. Marquez hit low in the 3rd. He was warned. Marquez hit low in the 6th. He was warned. Marquez hit low in the 10th. A point was taken and to watch Marquez you'd have thought he was being pickpocketed. He didn't low again, though. How about that? Marquez did inflict some damage here and there though. Vasquez went down in the 4th, stunned. He stood and dominated the rest of the round and were it not for Marquez' refusal to let an accumulation of blows put him to the canvas, he would have been down himself.
Marquez moved all night. Sometimes he was able to escape Vasquez and sometimes not but when he couldn't, the damage began to pile up. In the 12th, for the first time all fight, Marquez grabbed Vasquez. He was shot. For his trouble, Vasquez pounded him every concievable way. He worked him high, low and in between. He staggered him and then...for the first time all fight and in the 12th and final round and with only 4 seconds left in the fight, he put him down. Marquez' behind or gloves didn't touch the canvas...but he fell defenseless into the corner post, driven back by punches, his legs splayed out and he caught a big punch flush before being held from the canvas by the post and ropes. At that moment, the referee stepped in because no matter how little time remained, he saw a fighter in deep trouble.
After the fight Marquez protested the standing eight count he received, but once he watches the tape, he'll probably be ashamed at the fuss he made. At the time in the fight when he should have been trying to finish, he was holding on while Vasquez was finishing. As between two very tough, talented and dedicated fighters, the better man won.
I gave the first three rounds to Marquez, but the fourth only went to Marquez 9-8 despite his knockdown of Vasquez because the knockdown seemed to energize Vasquez. Vasquez dominated the remainder of the round thoroughly. He caught Marquez flush repeatedly as Marquez dropped the boxing and foolishly tried to finish Vasquez. In the fifth, Marquez picked up where he left off and by the end of round 5, I had Marquez ahead by 5 full rounds. In a 12 round fight that is a huge mountain to climb...but on my card, Vasquez did it.
Getting hit low in the 6th, he seemed to be catching up to Marquez and landing more solidly. Unlike Marquez, when Vasquez landed, the effect was noticeable. Marquez would slow almost imperceptibly, back off...try to regroup...but Vasquez always gave chase. Relentless, Vasquez turned the tide, himself reeling off three of four straight rounds. At this point, I must admit that some of these rounds were so close with both men punching and connecting so much that they could have gone either way. I literally marked all of the first eleven rounds as close rounds on my card. This fight though, like many fights, has a life all it's own...an ebb and a flow...and the fighters go with it or fight to turn it. I had the 7th so close that I literally couldn't call it...only reluctantly later giving it to Marquez based on a check mark I'd placed next to his 10 of an otherwise 10-10 round.
In the 9th and 10th Marquez was on his horse again, sticking and moving and he turned the tide back and won the 10th on my card, only to lose it again by drawing it to a 9-9 round based on his low blow (a point that deserved to be taken, in case my earlier point was missed). That seemed to finish Marquez, but even he didn't know it. Ten rounds of staying away from Vasquez was all he had in him. His left eye was closing and Vasquez saw it through his own swollen but open eyes. Vasquez began to work overhand rights and land both hands as Marquez went defensive in an effort to survive a fight he seemed to say afterwards he felt he had won. Well...he would have been right if he hadn't faded so very badly.
If a fighter doesn't clinch...not once, for the first 33 minutes of a fight, it's so very obvious when he does so repeatedly in the final 3 minute frame. As Vasquez chased Marquez around the ring beating him down, Marquez stopped only to grab and hold. Spreading his arms to free himself and show that he was not initiating or perpetuating the clinches, Vasquez separated himself as soon as he could and continued his singleminded quest: to win the 12th round so big that he could overcome any hole he'd dug. He did just that. He was trying to avoid it going to the cards and if he'd had 30 more seconds or if the ref hadn't stepped in with seconds to spare, he would have knocked Marquez out. He didn't have to. He beat him so thoroughly that he took the 12th on my card 10-8 before the standing 8 count, making the final round on my card 10-7.
When I added up my card, I found mine matched the tie-breaking card of the third judge: 113-112 for Vasquez. The other two judges saw it for each fighter 114-111 and it was close enough most rounds that I could understand those scores even if I don't agree. That means a two round swing and two judges went opposite directions in two respective rounds. As I've said, apart from the 12th, every round was close, if not exactly a pick'em (except the 7th...toss a coin for that one).
Now to the disgrace that is Showtime boxing. Okay...that's a little harsh. I subscribe and tune in, so how bad could it be? Pretty bad. I can live with the TV camera ogling of the ring card girls. They're a part of boxing and if I were there live and they were good looking, I would stare too. Showing them between every round in a boxing broadcast (instead of, for example, cherry-picking the cutest girls to showcase) is kind of cheesy. But after, all...it's boxing...like Ricky Hatton often says in a completely different context...it's not a tickling contest, is it now?
I can even live with the classless pre-fight interviews by the clueless stiff of a barbie doll shamelessly promoting Elite XC fighting by interviewing MMA fighters to promote (I guess to boxing fans?) that newest venture by Showtime. I find it repugnant, but at least I can TiVo fast forward right past it. With a Showtime broadcast, I make sure to leave enough lead time.
The show promotions that litter the bottom 20% or so of the screen during actual rounds is just disgusting. I want to reach out and (metaphorically) punch the producer of the show right in the mouth. If I want to see the Tudors or the L Word or Dexter (which I do in fact, enjoy), I'll tune in...but exactly what demographic are you trying to reach here? I think no thought at all is put into it. I think it's just low class carnival barker salesmanship.
Now, speaking of carnival barkers, Steve Albert has got to go. How did this guy get this job? We've already tuned in. Please stop screaming at us. Please stop telling us how great the fight is that we're already watching. Do you think we'll all tune away unless you remind us how great the fight is? Clearly you do. In the 6th round, having to listen to "they make for such great entertainment! It's almost beyond belief!!! shouted so loudly you'd think he were standing next to a jet engine is hardly worthwhile comment. If by the 10th round of this fight in particular anyone has tuned out, I don't think that this nugget is going to keep them interested: "Jack Nicholson! Taking it all in!! You know it's a good spectacle when he's here!!!" I would prefer they trained a monkey to screech incessantly between rounds, then Al Bernstein could still punctuate those screeches with the same comments between the monkey's breaths and we could drop the pretense altogether.
Speaking of Al, he is the sole redeeming part of the broadcasts...but he's so overwhelmed by the crap that he's like Archie Manning on the 1970s Saints. It's hard to see how good he is because he has zero supporting cast. Al astutely pointed out that he didn't have it all that close after the 5th, mildly doing his best to answer the caterwauling of Albert that the fight was so close it was the greatest single spectacle in the history of mankind. In fact, to that point...while it was indeed an exceptionally good fight...Marquez was winning all of the rounds. One knock on Al and it's a mild one: In the 10th, Al said that he felt the fight was so good that he almost didn't care how it was scored. Well...Al, come on and commit. If it's that great a fight, say you don't care. It's okay. That shows respect for the fighers efforts. That's what you meant to say, isn't it?
This was a great fight. A definite early contender for fight of the year. The boxer versus the puncher. Two great fighters in the prime of their careers, matching skills, wills and fists for the WBC (and concensus Ring) championship at 122 pounds. These were little men with big hearts and heavy hands. I appreciate it being brought to me not on pay per view, I'll say that. It worked out for Vasquez that he indeed has the heavier hands. It worked out for all of us that we got to witness it. What a fight!
Everybody who watched the first two fights knew that Vasquez hits harder. Marquez knew it. Marquez also knew he was a little faster and a bit better boxer. So that's why we witnessed the power puncher Vasquez chase Marquez almost all night. The "almost" applied to the last two rounds when, while Marquez seems to be saying he coasted (when he shouldn't have), Vasquez finally wore Marquez down. What Marquez tried to spin in the post-fight as calculating care was obviously to the observer a fighter who could run, dodge, dance and jab for 10 rounds...but not for all 12.
These guys fought all night. Marquez stuck and moved, while Vasquez relentlessly advanced. Vasquez ate a lot of leather for his trouble and you've got to be a very tough man to absorb as many clean shots from a fighter of Marquez' caliber, walk through them and keep pursuing...but that's exactly what Vasquez did. From the outset, Marquez' jab was sharp and he circled, beating Vasquez to the punch over and over. But as early as the second round, it was clear that the reason he was moving so much was to stay off the ropes and to avoid getting caught. Now...this is a legitimate boxer's tactic and on balance a good one against a puncher whom you can't walk down. But there's no easy road against a hard puncher and of the two ways to go, staying away and outboxing a puncher is the more tiring. By fight's end, Marquez' choice showed and although he'd done a lot of damage himself, the damage he'd absorbed showed more clearly. He'd done what he could to even it up...even bending the rules, but it wasn't enough.
Marquez hit Vasquez low. Was it to slow him down? Well...Vasquez never did it and they were in the same ring. Marquez hit low in the 3rd. He was warned. Marquez hit low in the 6th. He was warned. Marquez hit low in the 10th. A point was taken and to watch Marquez you'd have thought he was being pickpocketed. He didn't low again, though. How about that? Marquez did inflict some damage here and there though. Vasquez went down in the 4th, stunned. He stood and dominated the rest of the round and were it not for Marquez' refusal to let an accumulation of blows put him to the canvas, he would have been down himself.
Marquez moved all night. Sometimes he was able to escape Vasquez and sometimes not but when he couldn't, the damage began to pile up. In the 12th, for the first time all fight, Marquez grabbed Vasquez. He was shot. For his trouble, Vasquez pounded him every concievable way. He worked him high, low and in between. He staggered him and then...for the first time all fight and in the 12th and final round and with only 4 seconds left in the fight, he put him down. Marquez' behind or gloves didn't touch the canvas...but he fell defenseless into the corner post, driven back by punches, his legs splayed out and he caught a big punch flush before being held from the canvas by the post and ropes. At that moment, the referee stepped in because no matter how little time remained, he saw a fighter in deep trouble.
After the fight Marquez protested the standing eight count he received, but once he watches the tape, he'll probably be ashamed at the fuss he made. At the time in the fight when he should have been trying to finish, he was holding on while Vasquez was finishing. As between two very tough, talented and dedicated fighters, the better man won.
I gave the first three rounds to Marquez, but the fourth only went to Marquez 9-8 despite his knockdown of Vasquez because the knockdown seemed to energize Vasquez. Vasquez dominated the remainder of the round thoroughly. He caught Marquez flush repeatedly as Marquez dropped the boxing and foolishly tried to finish Vasquez. In the fifth, Marquez picked up where he left off and by the end of round 5, I had Marquez ahead by 5 full rounds. In a 12 round fight that is a huge mountain to climb...but on my card, Vasquez did it.
Getting hit low in the 6th, he seemed to be catching up to Marquez and landing more solidly. Unlike Marquez, when Vasquez landed, the effect was noticeable. Marquez would slow almost imperceptibly, back off...try to regroup...but Vasquez always gave chase. Relentless, Vasquez turned the tide, himself reeling off three of four straight rounds. At this point, I must admit that some of these rounds were so close with both men punching and connecting so much that they could have gone either way. I literally marked all of the first eleven rounds as close rounds on my card. This fight though, like many fights, has a life all it's own...an ebb and a flow...and the fighters go with it or fight to turn it. I had the 7th so close that I literally couldn't call it...only reluctantly later giving it to Marquez based on a check mark I'd placed next to his 10 of an otherwise 10-10 round.
In the 9th and 10th Marquez was on his horse again, sticking and moving and he turned the tide back and won the 10th on my card, only to lose it again by drawing it to a 9-9 round based on his low blow (a point that deserved to be taken, in case my earlier point was missed). That seemed to finish Marquez, but even he didn't know it. Ten rounds of staying away from Vasquez was all he had in him. His left eye was closing and Vasquez saw it through his own swollen but open eyes. Vasquez began to work overhand rights and land both hands as Marquez went defensive in an effort to survive a fight he seemed to say afterwards he felt he had won. Well...he would have been right if he hadn't faded so very badly.
If a fighter doesn't clinch...not once, for the first 33 minutes of a fight, it's so very obvious when he does so repeatedly in the final 3 minute frame. As Vasquez chased Marquez around the ring beating him down, Marquez stopped only to grab and hold. Spreading his arms to free himself and show that he was not initiating or perpetuating the clinches, Vasquez separated himself as soon as he could and continued his singleminded quest: to win the 12th round so big that he could overcome any hole he'd dug. He did just that. He was trying to avoid it going to the cards and if he'd had 30 more seconds or if the ref hadn't stepped in with seconds to spare, he would have knocked Marquez out. He didn't have to. He beat him so thoroughly that he took the 12th on my card 10-8 before the standing 8 count, making the final round on my card 10-7.
When I added up my card, I found mine matched the tie-breaking card of the third judge: 113-112 for Vasquez. The other two judges saw it for each fighter 114-111 and it was close enough most rounds that I could understand those scores even if I don't agree. That means a two round swing and two judges went opposite directions in two respective rounds. As I've said, apart from the 12th, every round was close, if not exactly a pick'em (except the 7th...toss a coin for that one).
Now to the disgrace that is Showtime boxing. Okay...that's a little harsh. I subscribe and tune in, so how bad could it be? Pretty bad. I can live with the TV camera ogling of the ring card girls. They're a part of boxing and if I were there live and they were good looking, I would stare too. Showing them between every round in a boxing broadcast (instead of, for example, cherry-picking the cutest girls to showcase) is kind of cheesy. But after, all...it's boxing...like Ricky Hatton often says in a completely different context...it's not a tickling contest, is it now?
I can even live with the classless pre-fight interviews by the clueless stiff of a barbie doll shamelessly promoting Elite XC fighting by interviewing MMA fighters to promote (I guess to boxing fans?) that newest venture by Showtime. I find it repugnant, but at least I can TiVo fast forward right past it. With a Showtime broadcast, I make sure to leave enough lead time.
The show promotions that litter the bottom 20% or so of the screen during actual rounds is just disgusting. I want to reach out and (metaphorically) punch the producer of the show right in the mouth. If I want to see the Tudors or the L Word or Dexter (which I do in fact, enjoy), I'll tune in...but exactly what demographic are you trying to reach here? I think no thought at all is put into it. I think it's just low class carnival barker salesmanship.
Now, speaking of carnival barkers, Steve Albert has got to go. How did this guy get this job? We've already tuned in. Please stop screaming at us. Please stop telling us how great the fight is that we're already watching. Do you think we'll all tune away unless you remind us how great the fight is? Clearly you do. In the 6th round, having to listen to "they make for such great entertainment! It's almost beyond belief!!! shouted so loudly you'd think he were standing next to a jet engine is hardly worthwhile comment. If by the 10th round of this fight in particular anyone has tuned out, I don't think that this nugget is going to keep them interested: "Jack Nicholson! Taking it all in!! You know it's a good spectacle when he's here!!!" I would prefer they trained a monkey to screech incessantly between rounds, then Al Bernstein could still punctuate those screeches with the same comments between the monkey's breaths and we could drop the pretense altogether.
Speaking of Al, he is the sole redeeming part of the broadcasts...but he's so overwhelmed by the crap that he's like Archie Manning on the 1970s Saints. It's hard to see how good he is because he has zero supporting cast. Al astutely pointed out that he didn't have it all that close after the 5th, mildly doing his best to answer the caterwauling of Albert that the fight was so close it was the greatest single spectacle in the history of mankind. In fact, to that point...while it was indeed an exceptionally good fight...Marquez was winning all of the rounds. One knock on Al and it's a mild one: In the 10th, Al said that he felt the fight was so good that he almost didn't care how it was scored. Well...Al, come on and commit. If it's that great a fight, say you don't care. It's okay. That shows respect for the fighers efforts. That's what you meant to say, isn't it?
This was a great fight. A definite early contender for fight of the year. The boxer versus the puncher. Two great fighters in the prime of their careers, matching skills, wills and fists for the WBC (and concensus Ring) championship at 122 pounds. These were little men with big hearts and heavy hands. I appreciate it being brought to me not on pay per view, I'll say that. It worked out for Vasquez that he indeed has the heavier hands. It worked out for all of us that we got to witness it. What a fight!
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