Rematch of Marquez-Diaz fight of the year announced
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The 2009 fight of the year will have a July 31 rematch at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas when world lightweight champion and first-fight winner Juan Manuel Marquez will take on Juan Diaz.
Marquez won the first bout, rallying from a deficit on the scorecards to produce a stirring ninth-round TKO in Diaz’s home state, Texas, in February 2009.
Now, both men are confronting questions about how long they can sustain their careers.
Diaz has lost three of his last five fights, and one of his victories, over Paulie Malignaggi, was a highly disputed decision.
A recent college graduate from the University of Houston (political science) who’s now working toward his law degree with an important exam on June 7, Diaz, 26, blamed himself for loafing during the last year. He said he’s sharpest while engaged in the classwork-training regimen, and says he’s vowed to improve his conditioning and dedication by incorporating a swimming coach and instructing his trainers, ‘Look, guys, we can’t just work three to four hours in the gym. This is my job. It takes the whole day. That’s what I’m doing now.’
Diaz said he was too excited in the hours before the Marquez fight, leading to fatigue during the bout that allowed Marquez, 36, to rally. Diaz (35-3) explained the struggles against Malignaggi proved to him ‘140 [pounds] is not my weight class.’
Likewise, Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) proved 147 pounds is not his weight class after he was pummeled in September by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a bout that generated a lot of money for Marquez but perhaps left a costly toll on his reputation and future.
‘It was a tough fight,’ Marquez said of the Mayweather loss. ‘At welterweight, I lost my speed and strength. Now that I’m going back down, I feel great. [The loss] hasn’t cost me nothing. Everyone knows me. I love my job.’
Marquez’s past training routine has included drinking his own urine based on some belief it provides the body richer nutrients, and riding a bicycle up a steep mountain without a seat.
Marquez continues to express his interest in a third fight against Manny Pacquiao, unlikely this year since the Filipino star will either fight the winner of tonight’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley bout or take on his Top Rank stablemate Antonio Margarito.
‘Our first fight was a draw, and our second was a split-decision I thought I won. I want to fight Pacquiao.’
Tickets for Marquez-Diaz II range from $50-$350 and are on sale through Ticketmaster.
--Lance Pugmire
