"Dinamita" (Dynamite)  

• WBA lightweight world champion, one successful defense...
• WBO lightweight world champion, one successful defense...
• World championship fights: 9-3-1, 4 KOs...
• Interim world championship fights: 2-0, 2 KOs...
• Boxing Writers Association of America's "2009 Fight of the Year" - Marquez-Diaz...
• Former WBC super featherweight world champion, one successful defense...
• Former WBO interim featherweight world champion, one successful defense...
• Former IBF featherweight world champion, four successful defenses...
• Former WBA featherweight world champion, three successful defenses...
• Former NABF featherweight champion...
• Former USBA featherweight champion...
• Former two-time NABO featherweight champion, seven successful defenses...
• Twitter: @JMMarquez_1

At the age of 38, Juan is an 18-year pro. The WBA and WBO lightweight world champion, he won the titles in February, 2009, and has made two successful title defenses.

He is also a former WBC super featherweight world champion, and has held the IBF and WBA featherweight world titles as well as the WBO interim featherweight world title. He is a veteran of 13 world title fights, and two interim world title fights.

When Juan won the lightweight world titles, he joined an elite group: only five Mexicans have won world titles in three different weight divisions - Juan, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Julio Cesar Chavez, and Fernando Montiel. Chavez was inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 12, and Juan, Morales, and Barrera are certain future Hall of Famers, as well.

Juan is coming off a first-round TKO win against former WBA interim super featherweight world champion Likar Ramos in a tuneup fight on July 16.

After the fight, Doug Fischer wrote in The Ring [online edition, excerpts]: Juan Manuel Marquez made short work of Likar Ramos, blasting out the 25-year-old southpaw with one punch in the first round of their jr. welterweight bout in Cancun, Mexico, on Saturday.

The future hall of famer knocked Likar Ramos out cold with a picture-perfect straight right hand midway through the first round of a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout on Saturday in Cancun, Mexico. [End Fischer item]

In his previous fight in November, 2010, Juan TKO'd Michael Katsidis in the ninth round.

Fightwriter.com's Graham Houston reported [excerpts]: To watch Juan Manuel Marquez defeating Michael Katsidis was a privilege and a pleasure. What we were seeing was a great fighter plying his craft. Even after getting dropped in the third round, Marquez never really lost control of the fight. By the end of the round he was firing right back.

Katsidis gave his all, but Marquez's pinpoint punching was too much for him. Marquez was even having the better of the exchanges when backed up on the ropes - in theory where Katsidis wanted him to be.

It was an amazing performance by a 37-year-old. Marquez fought like a man a decade younger. Katsidis landed hooks, jabs, uppercuts, but it seemed he was always taking more than he was giving, even in the thrilling third round when his left hook sent Marquez down on his back.

Marquez was punch-perfect.... His jabs slammed into Katsidis's face, while the body shots, the left hooks especially, were debilitating.

Strangely, the fight was almost a repeat of Marquez's first fight with Juan Diaz, right down to the ninth-round ending. Marquez was under pressure against a vigorous, much younger opponent but just kept punching, expertly moving back to give himself that little extra room to trigger off combinations. Inside or outside, though, on the ropes or in the centre of the ring, Marquez was the master. I believe we were looking at one of the greatest lightweights in history, a Mexican living legend.

Although Katsidis gamely stuck to the difficult task of trying to wear down the older man, he was simply taking too many punches and not delivering enough of his own. I sensed the concern in the Aussie corner..at the end of the sixth.... The big-hearted Australian kept battling for three more rounds before the accumulation of punches caught up with him. [End Houston item]

This is Juan's third fight against Manny Pacquiao. He lost the WBC super featherweight world title against Pacquiao by 12 round split decision in their rematch in March, 2008.

After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: After the tremendous action fight they waged in their disputed 2004 draw, nobody should be at all surprised that when Pacquiao and Marquez finally met in a rematch, they produced another enthralling, bloody and dramatic fight for the ages. We'll certainly be talking about it at the end of the year when it comes time to pick the fight of the year.

It could have gone either way - they are so perfectly matched that virtually every round was close other than the third round, in which Pacquiao nailed Marquez with a left hand and knocked him down. The 12^th round was also a big Marquez round.

The disturbing thing was to hear the Marquez camp complaining endlessly about the decision as though it was scandalous. There are fights in which...you really have to question the competency of the judges. This was not one of them. It was merely a razor-close fight that was awesome to watch because it had many close rounds.

Marquez's reputation has not been damaged. It has been enhanced by another sensational fight that the sold-out crowd of 11,061 loved. [End Rafael item]

Juan had his first breakthrough "mega-fight" against Pacquiao in May, 2004, and gave a tremendous effort. Knocked down three times and hurt badly in the first round, he recovered and outboxed and outworked Pacquiao in many of the remaining rounds. He didn't get the win, but retained the IBF and WBA world titles with a 12-round draw.

A certain future Hall of Famer, Juan had a series of frustrations earlier in his career.

Long considered a top featherweight contender, he was the No. 1 ranked mandatory challenger for WBO featherweight world champion Naseem Hamed in the mid to late-1990s, but Hamed instead fought a series of carefully selected opponents and petitioned the WBO to allow him three more voluntary title defenses when his mandatory defense against Juan was due. Juan said, "For two years we were talking about that fight. It was very frustrating for me."

Juan was a six-year pro and a veteran of 30 fights when he got his first world title opportunity in September, 1999, against WBA featherweight champion Fred Norwood. But Norwood won a controversial decision in a fight that many observers thought Juan deserved to win.

It was more than three years later before he had another world title opportunity - after 10 years as a pro and 41 pro fights, Juan won the IBF featherweight world title in 2003. He added the WBA title later that year, and made four successful title defenses. He did not lose the titles in the ring - his mandatory IBF title defense against Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym, which was overdue, went to a purse offer two times in 2005, on July 26 and August 5, but no promoter bid on the fight either time. After the second failed purse offer, Juan was stripped of the IBF and WBA titles.

Juan challenged WBA featherweight world champion Chris John in March, 2006, on John's home turf - literally halfway around the world in Indonesia - for the WBA title, one of the titles of which Juan had been stripped. Juan lost another controversial decision. He said, "Many people that know about that fight, they know that they robbed me, robbed me bad. I would like to keep that fight in the past. It already happened, and I don't want to touch that. I just want to keep going."

Juan is experienced against top opposition. He has fought current or former world champions Juan Diaz twice (W12, KO9), Floyd Mayweather Jr.Joel Casamayor (TKO11), Manny Pacquiao twice (D12, L12), Marco Antonio Barrera (W12), Chris John (L12), Derrick GainerManuel Medina (TKO7), Robbie Peden (TKO10), Daniel Jimenez (TKO7), Fred Norwood (L12), Alfred Kotey (W12), Agapito Sanchez (W12), and Julio Gervacio (KO8). (L12), (TW7),

Two weeks after Juan won the IBF featherweight world title in February, 2003, his younger brother, Rafael Marquez, won the IBF bantamweight world title with a knockout victory against defending champion Tim Austin.

They are the fourth pair of Mexican brothers to win world titles, joining Rene Arredondo (two-time WBC super lightweight) and Ricardo Arredondo (WBC super featherweight), Erik Morales (WBC super bantamweight, two-time WBC featherweight, and WBC super featherweight) and Diego Morales (WBO jr. bantamweight), and Gabriel Ruelas (WBC super featherweight) and Rafael Ruelas (IBF lightweight).

Rafael and Juan Manuel are the first brothers, however, to both win world titles in two different weight divisions.

Other brothers to have held world titles include Michael and Leon Spinks, Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Thai twins Khaosai and Khaokor Galaxy, and in 1909, San Francisco's Abe and Monte Attell.

Regarding his nickname, Juan said, "It comes from when I was fighting at The Forum in Los Angeles. People were calling me 'Dinamita' maybe because of the way I fight. I don't mind. I just kept it as my ringname. I'm just happy, because people obviously like the way I fight."

Key Fights - 2011 - in his last fight on 7-16-11 in Cancun, MX, he knocked out lefthanded former WBA interim super featherweight world champion Likar Ramos (24-3): the fight headlined at Plaza de Toros, and Juan quickly overpowered him - he scored a knockdown with a right hand that dropped Ramos flat on his back in the 1^st round, and he was counted out at 1:47; after the fight, Juan said, "I wanted to take this fight to arrive well prepared for the next fight. I wanted a few more rounds, but fights go like that. We felt very well at this weight. Against Pacquiao, we all know it takes two for a fight, and given his style I know it will be a great fight between us both."...

2^ND WBA-WBO L WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-27-10 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO'd Michael Katsidis (27-2): the fight headlined at the MGM Grand, and it was fast-paced and exciting; Juan started fast and swept the 1^st and 2^nd rounds on all three scorecards, but Katsidis scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 3^rd round; Juan came back and swept the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th rounds, but Katsidis rallied and won the 7^th and 8^th rounds on two scorecards; Juan staggered him with a series of punches in the 9^th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:14; after eight rounds, Juan led by scores of 77-74, 76-75, 78-74; after the fight Juan said, "We worked really hard for this fight, and I could tell my body shots were slowing him down. This was definitely the fight of the year - there was nonstop action from the first round. I want the third fight with Pacquiao. I've been beating opponent after opponent, and the people want that fight."...

1^ST WBA-WBO L WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 7-31-10 in Las Vegas he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch against Juan Diaz (35-3): the bout headlined at Mandalay Bay, and Juan dominated most of the fight; Diaz had a few ralllies, but Juan generally outboxed and outworked him, and won  by scores of 117-111, 116-112, 118-110; after the fight, Juan said, "The first fight was difficult. This was, too, but I was the better fighter tonight. He's a very good boxer and like every Mexican warrior, we both fought with our hearts and left it all in the ring."...

2009 - on 9-19-09 in Las Vegas he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against former WBC super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, WBC and IBF welterweight, and WBC super welterweight world champion Floyd Mayweather (39-0): the fight headlined at the MGM Grand; Juan weighed 142 pounds, the heaviest of his career, and Mayweather weighed 146 - the heaviest Juan or any of his opponents had ever weighed before was 135; Mayweather dominated the fight; he scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 2^nd round, consistently outworked Juan, and landed the harder punches; Mayweather steadily wore him down, and won by scores of 119-108, 120-107,118-109; after the fight, Juan said, "It was a very hard fight. He surprised me with the knockdown - he hurt me in that round, but not at any other time. I don't want to make excuses, but the weight was the problem. He's too fast. When I hit him he would laugh, but I knew he felt my punches. We tried to work the speed, but the difference was the weight. If I had three or four fights at this weight, I would do better. I did the best that I could do."...

WON VACANT WBO, WBA L WORLD TITLES - on 2-28-09 in Houston, TX, he TKO'd former WBA-WBC-IBF lightweight world champion and hometown favorite Juan Diaz (34-1): the fight headlined at the Toyota Center, and it was fast-paced and exciting - it won the Boxing Writers Association of America's award for "2009 Fight of the Year;" Diaz started fast - he pressed forward, outworked Juan, and rocked him several times - Diaz won the 1^st round on two scorecards, then swept the 2^nd on all three; Juan came back and won the 3^rd round on two scorecards, but Diaz rallied and won the 4^th round on two scorecards; Juan was cut over his right eye in the 5^th round, but Diaz was staggered and cut over his right eye by a left hook in the 8^th round; Juan scored two knockdowns in the 9^th round - the first with a right hand that dropped Diaz face-first and nearly out of the ring, the second with a right uppercut that dropped him flat on his back - and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:40; after eight rounds, the fight was scored 77-75 Marquez, 77-75 Diaz, 76-76; after the fight, Juan said, "I boxed him really well but he is really strong. He hurt me with one body shot but we came to work and we came to box. He threw a lot of punches, but I knew how to contain him. The fight was even, and then I started avoiding his punches and I hurt him in the body. I knew in the fourth round things were changing."...

2008 - on 9-13-08 in Las Vegas he TKO'd lefthanded former WBC lightweight and WBA super featherweight world champion Joel Casamayor^st and 2^nd rounds on two scorecards, but Juan rallied to win the 3^rd and 4^th on two; Casamayor was cut over his right eye and his nose was bloodied in the 5^th round, and Juan swept the round on all three scorecards; Casamayor came back to win the 6^thth rounds on two scorecards, Juan won the 8^th on two,  Casamayor won the 9^th round on two, then Juan swept the 10^th round; Juan scored two knockdowns, both with right hands, in the 11^th round and the referee stopped the fight at 2:55; after 10 rounds, the fight was scored 97-93 Marquez, 95-95, 95-95...

LOST WBC SF WORLD TITLE - on 3-15-08 in Las Vegas he lost a 12 round split decision against lefthanded former WBC flyweight and IBF jr. featherweight world champion Manny Pacquiao (45-3-2): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight and the momentum shifted back and forth; Pacqiuao swept the 1^st round on all three scorecards, but Juan came back, staggered him with a right hand-left hook combination in the 2^nd, and swept the round; Pacquiao scored a knockdown with left hand that dropped Juan flat on his back late in the 3^rd round, rocked him again later in the round and won the round 10-8 on all three scorecards, then swept the 4^th round on all three scorecards, as well; Juan rallied and swept the 5^th, 7^th, and 8^throunds, but was nicked over his right eye in the 5 ^th, and cut badly over the same eye by a clash of heads in the 7^th; Pacquiao was also cut badly over his right eye; Pacquiao staggered Juan with a left hand early in the 10^th round, then rocked him against with series of punches moments later and swept the round, but Juan finished the fight very strongly - he swept the 11^th round and won the 12^th on two scorecards; it looked like the decision could go either way and many observers thought Juan deserved to win, but the judges scored 115-112, 114-113 Pacquiao, 115-112 Marquez; after the fight, Juan said, "I trained for this fight with my heart and I was in great condition. I don't like the decision. I still feel I am the champion and it was a bad decision. That knockdown, he got me cold, but then I adjusted my game plan and I thought from then on I dictated the rest of the fight. I thought I fought a great fight and still feel like I am the champ. I don't like the decision."...

2007 - 1^ST WBC SF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-3-07 in Tucson, AZ, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against 2000 Olympic silver medalist Rocky Juarez (27-3): the fight headlined at the Desert Diamond Casino, and Juan dominated; Juarez gave a determined effort, but was cut badly over his left eye by a clash of heads in the 1^st round and it bled for the rest of the fight; Juan was effective with his jab in the early rounds and added three-punch combinations and body punches in the middle rounds, and Juarez' right eye was swollen badly in the late rounds; scored 120-108, 118-110, 117-111...

WON WBC SF WORLD TITLE - on 3-17-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against defending champion Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4): the fight headlined at Mandalay Bay and drew an announced crowd of 8,127; it was an exciting battle - Juan started fast and swept the 1^st round on all three scorecards, then won the 2^nd and 4^th on two, but was cut over his left eye in the 4^th round; Juan swept the 5^th round, won the 6^th on two scorecards, then actually scored a 10-8 round on all three scorecards in the 7^th round, in spite of the fact that he was floored - Juan stunned Barrera with a right hand midway through the round, then rocked him with a series of punches, but Barrera, with his back on the ropes, floored Juan with a right hand that made him touch both gloves to the canvas; the referee, however, didn't see the punch and ruled it a slip, then penalized Barrera one point for punching Juan while he was still down; Barrera rallied and won the 8^th and 9^th rounds on two scorecards, but was cut over his left eye in the 8^th; Juan rallied in the late rounds - he rocked Barrera with a right hand early in the 10^th, followed that with hard combinations, and swept the round on the scorecards; he was cut over his right eye in the 11^th round, but swept the 11^th and 12^th, as well, and won by scores of 118-109, 116-111, 116-111; after the fight, Juan said, "The judges did their job. I don't feel it was given to me. They scored and they did it well. They can say whatever they want. I was dominating the fight, and that's why I got the decision. I tried to knock him out, but he took everything I threw at him. He hit me hard, but I got up, I got up well, and I continued. I could've stayed down and looked for a win by disqualification, but I didn't want to do that. I wanted to win the clean way."...

2006 - 1^ST WBO INTERIM F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-25-06 in Hidalgo, TX, he knocked out Jimrex Jaca (27-2-1): Jaca gave a good effort and some rounds were close, but Juan dominated most of the fight; Jaca was cut over his left eye in the 2^nd round, Juan was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads in the 5^th, and Juan's cut was made worse by another clash of heads in the 8^th round; Juan scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 9^th, and Jaca was counted out at at 2:48; after eight rounds, Juan led by scores of 80-72 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Juan said, "This fight was a learning experience for me. I believe it will also open many doors for the bigger fights. I believe this will help me tremendously. I was hoping they wouldn't stop the fight due to the accidental headbutt. I wanted to come in, as they say, through the big door, and thanks to God, I accomplished just that. The people left here very happy and I am very happy about it, too. I trained to win, and thanks to the Lord, the result was a victory."

WON WBO INTERIM F WORLD TITLE - on 8-5-05 in Stateline, NV, he TKO'd lefthanded Terdsak Jandaeng (24-1): Juan and his brother Rafael were the co-headliners at the MontBleu Sports Pavillion, and drew an estimated crowd of 3,000; Juan started fast and scored a knockdown with a series of punches that dropped Jandaeng face-first in the 2^nd round; Jandaeng came back strongly in the 3^rd, but was penalized one point for low blows in the round, as well, and Juan's right eye began to swell; Juan cut Jandaeng over his left eye and scored another knockdown with a series of punches in the 6^th, then staggered him with another series of punches in the 7^th and the referee stopped the fight at 1:13; after six rounds, Juan led by scores of 60-51, 59-51, 59-52; after the fight, Juan said, "He's a tough southpaw fighter, so I not surprised he survived the first knockdown. The first time he hit me, I knew I had to watch out. I wasn't concerned about my eye at first, but as it got worse I did start to worry about it. I'm ready to fight anyone in the 126 and 130-pound divisions. Anyone."...

WBA F WORLD TITLE CHALLENGE - on 3-4-06 in Borneo, INDO, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against defending champion Chris John (36-0-1): the fight was held in the parking lot at Putra Kerang Melano in Tenggarong City on Borneo Island; Juan pressed forward and scored with body punches, and John constantly circled the large ring and threw occasional jabs; Juan was warned four times for low blows, then was penalized one point in the 10^th round and another in the 11^th; the judges scored 117-111, 116-110, 116-112; looking back, Juan said, "When anyone reminds me about it, I always get upset. It was a highway robbery. From the first round to the twelfth round, I beat him throughout. There was a whole lot of abnormalities by the referee and the judges: any time I would hurt him, the referee would come in and intervene so he could recover. There were so many things that occurred, but it was a big learning experience for me. Now I know that if you travel to their home countries in Indonesia, people would tell me, 'You have to knock them out to win or even hit them with the spit bucket, because you won't get a decision.' And I found out it was true."...

2005 - 4^TH IBF, 3^RD WBA F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 5-7-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against lefthanded Victor Polo (37-4-3): the fight was co-featured with the epic Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo main event at Mandalay Bay, which drew an announced crowd of 5,168; it was a tactical battle, but Juan consistently outworked Polo, landed the sharper punches, and dominated most of the fight; Juan scored a knockdown with a right hand that put Polo on the seat of his trunks in 7^th round, and won by scores of 120-107, 119-109, 118-109; after the fight, Juan said, "It was a good tactical match more than anything. I was very confident coming in and after the first two rounds, I felt I had it. It was just a matter of putting it together."...

2004 - 3^RD IBF, 2^ND WBA F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 9-18-04 in Las Vegas he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Orlando Salido (23-8-1): the fight was the chief support for the Bernard Hopkins-Oscar De La Hoya main event, which drew a crowd of 16,112 to the MGM Grand Garden Arena; it was tactical battle - both fought cautiously in the early and middle rounds and the crowd booed the lack of action; Salido stepped up his pressure in the second half of the fight and was effective at times, but Juan generally outboxed and outworked him and won by scores of 118-110, 117-111, 117-111; after the fight, Juan said, "I think I dominated with my boxing. I knew Salido would box and throw lots of punches. I didn't want to risk a headbutt, and that's why I stayed back."; Salido went on to win the IBF featherweight world title that was previously held by Juan, but was stripped the following week after testing positive for steroids...

2^ND IBF, 1^ST WBA F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 5-8-04 in Las Vegas he fought to a 12 round draw against lefthanded former WBC flyweight and IBF super bantamweight world champion Manny Pacquiao (38-2-1): Juan was knocked down three times by straight left hands and hurt badly in the 1^st round, and his nose was injured and bled throughout the fight; but he showed tremendous heart and determination, gradually recovered, and dominated many of the remaining rounds - Juan swept the 3^rd round on all three scorecards, won the 4^th on two, then rocked Pacquiao in the 5^th and staggered him in the 6^th and swept both rounds on all three scorecards; after six rounds, the fight was scored 57-55, 56-55 Pacquiao, 56-55 Marquez; the second half of the fight was exciting and the momentum shifted back and forth, but Juan won the 7^th, 8^th and 10^th rounds on two scorecards and swept the 12^th on all three, and the final scores were 115-110 Marquez, 115-110 Pacquiao, 113-113; after the fight, Juan said, "In the first round, I got careless and got hit with a left hand. I was disoriented after the first round, but once I got over that, I thought I controlled the fight."...

2003 - 1^ST IBF F WORLD TITLE DEFENSE, WON WBA F WORLD TITLE - on 11-1-03 in Grand Rapids, MI, he won a technical decision against lefthanded WBA world champion Derrick Gainer (39-5-1): the bout was on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Phillip Ndou main event, and Juan dominated the fight - he constantly pressed forward, but Gainer was extremely elusive and the crowd booed the lack of action; Gainer was cut by an accidental clash of heads in the 7^th round, and the referee stopped the fight and went to the scorecards - 70-63, 70-63, 69-64; after the fight, Juan said, "I really expected a lot tougher fight than this. The guy just didn't want to fight. I think I was starting to hit him and I was finding my rhythm. I don't think he even hit me."...

On 8-16-03 in Uncasville, CT, he TKO'd Marcos Licona (20-3-1): it was a nontitle 10-rounder; Juan was originally scheduled to fight WBA featherweight world champion Derrick Gainer, but Gainer tore a pectoral muscle in training and withdrew from the fight; Juan dominated the fight with a busier pace and harder punches, and scored a knockdown with a right uppercut in the 8^th; he rocked Licona with a series of punches in the 9^th round and cut him under the left eye, and Licona's cornermen stopped the fight after the round; after the fight, Juan said, "I listened to my corner tonight. They kept telling me he was open for the uppercut, and it worked in the eighth round."...

WON VACANT IBF F WORLD TITLE - on 2-1-03 in Las Vegas he TKO'd former four-time featherweight world champion Manuel Medina (60-12): Juan dominated the fight; he knocked down Medina early in the 2^nd round, then staggered him in the 4^th and 5^th and Medina's nose was bloodied and his right eye was swollen; Juan scored another knockdown in the 7^th round, and the referee stopped the fight due to Medina's swollen eye at 1:18; after six rounds, Juan led by scores of 59-54, 59-54, 58-55; after the fight, Juan said, "I have been waiting for years for a title. I thought I was going to take him out in the second round, but like all Mexican fighters, he's a great champion with tremendous heart."...

2002 - on 6-21-02 in Las Vegas he TKO'd former Mexican featherweight champion Hector Marquez (25-8): Juan dominated the fight and scored a knockdown in the 8^th round; he scored another knockdown in the 10^th, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 0:28; after nine rounds, Juan led by scores of 89-81 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Juan said, "We were coming from a hard fight in March, but we came to do our job. I thought it was a hard fight. He is a strong fighter."...

WON NABF, VACANT USBA F TITLES, IBF F WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR - on 3-9-02 in Pittsburgh, PA, he TKO'd defending NABF champion Robbie Peden (20-1): Juan dominated the fight with a busier pace and more accurate punching, and steadily wore down Peden; Juan rocked Peden with a series of hard punches in the 10^th round, including several to the body; Peden vomited in his corner after the round, and the referee immediately stopped the fight; after 10 rounds, Juan led by scores of 99-91, 99-91, 97-93; looking back, Juan said, "It was a concern. I didn't think my punches were really getting to him that hard early on, but by the later rounds I could see his face swelling up and the body shots were hurting him. I had no idea he was being sick in his corner. I was so busy in my own corner, I really had no idea until the fight was over. At the press conference afterwards, I made a point of asking if he was OK, and he told me he was. I felt very relieved I hadn't hurt him."; Peden went on to win the IBF jr. lightweight world title...

2001 - on 10-19-01 in Worley, ID, he knocked out Johnny Walker (18-3): Juan gave a devastating performance - he scored two knockdowns in the 1^st round that left Walker dazed and disoriented, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:56; after the fight, Juan said, "I don't have to prove nothing to nobody."...

On 8-19-01 in Wendover, UT, he TKO'd Julio Gamboa (24-5-1): Juan dominated the fight and overpowered him; he cut Gamboa over both eyes, and Gamboa's corner stopped the fight after the 6^th round...

On 4-1-01 in Reno, NV, he TKO'd Baby Lorona (30-15-3): Juan scored two knockdowns in the 2^nd round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:50...

On 2-11-01 in Reno he TKO'd former U.S. National amateur champion Sean Fletcher (25-5): Fletcher gave a strong effort, but Juan scored two knockdowns in the 6^th round; he scored two more knockdowns in the 7^th, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:54...

2000 - on 10-22-00 in Reno he knocked out former world title challenger Reynante Jamili (43-6): Juan scored two knockdowns in the 2^nd round; he scored another knockdown in the 3^rd, and Jamili was counted out at 1:14...

On 8-27-00 in Las Vegas he TKO'd former WBO champion Daniel Jimenez (28-8-1): Juan dominated the fight, and Jimenez' corner stopped the fight after the 7^th round; Juan led 70-63 on all three scorecards...

WON VACANT NABO F TITLE - on 5-20-00 in Stateline, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former world title challenger Roque Cassiani (18-6-1): Cassiani was very elusive, but Juan dominated the fight; he staggered Cassiani in the 6^th round, and won by scores of 119-109, 119-109, 118-110...

1999 - on 11-20-99 in Las Vegas he TKO'd former world title challenger Remigio Molina (35-3-1): Juan scored one knockdown in the 2^nd round; he scored three more in the 8^th, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:01...

WBA F WORLD TITLE CHALLENGE - on 9-11-99 in Las Vegas he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against lefthanded defending champion Fred Norwood (34-0-1): it was a tactical bout and a controversial decision; Juan was knocked down in the 2^nd round but recovered, outworked Norwood for much of the fight, and scored a knockdown in the 9^th; the crowd booed the announcement of the scores - 114-112, 115-111, 117-112; looking back, Juan said, "Most definitely I thought I won that fight. I think I pressured him all night long. I thought I did the better things that night, but I don't think about it any more. I'm only thinking about the present."...

On 5-10-99 in Inglewood, CA, he TKO'd Wilfredo Vargas (23-11): Juan scored four knockdowns, and Vargas' corner threw in the towel to stop the fight at 2:02 of the 2^nd round...

On 2-20-99 in Coachella, CA, he knocked Jose DeJesus Garcia (24-8): at 1:54 of the 1^st round...

1998 - 6^TH NABO F TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-24-98 in Las Vegas he knocked out Francisco Arreola (29-2-2): in the 3^rd round...

5^TH NABO F TITLE DEFENSE - on 8-22-98 in Las Vegas he TKO'd Enrique Jupiter (31-8-1): at 1:09 of the 8^th round...

4^TH NABO F TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-20-98 in Las Vegas he TKO'd Juan Cabrera (32-3): Juan cut Cabrera two times over his left eye and once on his left cheek, and stopped him at 0:40 of the 4^th round...

1997 - 3^RD NABO F TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-22-97 in Las Vegas he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former WBO bantamweight world champion Alfred Kotey (22-5): scored 117-110 on all three scorecards...

2^ND NABO F DEFENSE - on 9-27-97 in Stateline he TKO'd Vincent Howard (14-3-2): at 2:17 of the 12^th round...

1^ST NABO F TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-21-97 in Inglewood he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Agapito Sanchez (22-3-1): scored 120-107, 119-108, 117-110; Sanchez went on to win the WBO jr. featherweight world title in 2001...

WON NABO F TITLE - on 2-3-97 in Anaheim, CA, he TKO'd lefthander Cedric Mingo (22-7-1): Juan bloodied Mingo's nose in the 9^th round and scored a knockdown in the 10^th; Mingo's corner stopped the fight after the 10^th round...

He debuted at the age of 19 on 5-29-93 in Mexico City and was disqualified against Javier Duran (1-0): in the 1^st round...

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Juan said through an interpreter, "I was born in Mexico City. I have two brothers and five sisters. My father, Rafael Marquez, worked for the government. He was also a professional boxer, he had maybe 40 fights. He was a big sports fan and he got us into boxing. He took my brother Rafael and me to the gym one day, and Nacho Beristain just happened to be there.

"I started boxing when I was about eight years old, but I started entering tournaments when I was 13. I had 36 amateur fights, I was 35-1. I won a couple of Golden Gloves tournaments in Mexico City, but it was difficult to get on the Olympic team. There were some elimination tournaments, but they already had their favorites and we were just going through the motions. Even if you won, you weren't even considered. That was just a waste of time."...

Even with a successful boxing career, Juan held a full-time job as an accountant until 2000...Juan and his wife Erica have two sons, Aldo Manuel and Juan Emilio, and a daughter, Allison Natalia...Juan owns some rental properties and a sports bar in Mexico City...

Juan's wife and his brother Rafael's wife are sisters...Juan said, "I am to blame for this. I was dating my wife, at the time my girlfriend, and Rafael says to me, 'Her sister is very beautiful, could you introduce her to me?' I introduced her to him, and that was how their love story began. Then they got married."

From Sports Illustrated, Feb. 2, 2007 [excerpts]: At first glance the Romanza boxing gym doesn't stand out in a row of dilapidated buildings in Mexico City. Climb the stairs to the second floor and you find little in the way of boxing equipment, just a pair of battered heavy bags and, in front of a wall of windows that magnify the intense heat, a lightly padded ring with ropes that appear to be one good push away from snapping. It's the kind of place where you expect to find a group of neighborhood kids horsing around - and you do, because Juan Manuel and Rafael Márquez are nothing if not two boys from the barrio.

Growing up in a spartan two-bedroom house in the dangerous neighborhood of Iztapalapa, the brothers were introduced to boxing by their father, Rafael Sr., as a method of self-defense. "Where we lived was where the real tough life was," says Rafael Jr.... "Drugs, gangs, the Mexican mafia; it was dangerous to walk out the front door."

Rafael Sr., an accomplished fighter in his day (he amassed a respectable 35-5 record while working as a machine operator in a steel factory and later as a file clerk in the government's agriculture department), taught his sons the fundamentals of boxing in his 3-by-3-meter bedroom. There wasn't space anywhere else in the house; the other bedroom was packed with three sets of bunk beds where the eight Márquez children slept. "When we woke up in the morning, we would literally fall on top of each other," says Juan Manuel...

"Juan Manuel has my style and movement," says Rafael Sr., "but Rafael has the kind of power I never had." The two boys combined training with roughing up the suitors of their five sisters. [End Sports Illustrated item]...

STRENGTHS: Has excellent skills, speed, and movement...a sharp, accurate combination puncher with good power in both hands...a good counterpuncher, and a good body puncher...is poised and patient in the ring, has a good defense...is always in top condition...physically strong and tough, has tremendous heart and determination...is experienced against top opposition...

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 59 fights...429 total rounds...140 world championship rounds...16 interim world championship rounds...

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 7.2 rounds...

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 73 %...

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds - 14 (9-4-1)...11 rounds - 1 (1-0)...10 rounds - 7 (7-0)...