Juan Manuel Marquez (133.5) vs. Juan Diaz (135)
Robert Guerrero (138.5) vs. Joel Casamayor (138)
Jorge Linares (132.5) vs. Rocky Juarez (132)
Daniel Jacobs (159) vs. Dmitry Pirog (160)
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That’s also the only reason they’re fighting this weekend.

Because the truth is that while this fight should be a very good one, it has little significance in the grand scheme of boxing and arguably even in the near future of the lightweight division.

As it stands today, Marquez is in all likelihood still the best lightweight in the world. He earned that distinction by knocking out linear champion Joel Casamayor in 2008 and following up with Diaz, who was considered the next best at 135 pounds.

Then Marquez made his way up two weight divisions to challenge Floyd Mayweather Jr., predictably got outclassed by the bigger man and now returns to lightweight where he is technically still king.

But at age 36 and having been in a number of very hard fights in recent years, Marquez is nearing the end of his career. This spring, he passed on a chance to fight rugged Australian Michael Katsidis, which means he’s unlikely to test his mettle against any lesser-known and more talented lightweights like Humberto Soto, Joan Guzman, Ali Funeka or Robert Guerrero.

Which means should he get past Diaz a second time, Marquez will probably look for one or two more big fights to end his career. Some rumblings have Amir Khan scouting the winner of this fight, and Golden Boy Promotions already made an attempt to pit Khan against Marquez earlier in the year.

As for Diaz, he stands at three losses in the last two years after his most recent defeat to Paulie Malignaggi. That fight took place at junior welterweight, but Malignaggi is known as a soft puncher and still managed to stun Diaz at one point in the fight before going on to a decision victory. Like Marquez, Diaz is moving back to where he belongs at 135.

So while Marquez-Diaz II is a fight people want to see, it probably isn’t going to do much for the lightweight division. And honestly, Marquez against Katsidis would have been just as exciting – though not as marketable – as this fight.

Marquez-Diaz II is a good fight to make given that both guys are coming off losses. They know they can cash in on a rematch of 2009’s Fight of the Year if they do it now. A year from now, February 2009 suddenly seems too far back to expect a repeat of the first classic.

If done right, rematches are always going to be intriguing to fans, especially if the first fight was exciting or controversial, and sometimes that means the more deserving challengers are going to have to wait through them.

And then sometimes you find challengers who don’t even mind waiting.

Earlier this week, Alexander Povetkin pulled out of his mandatory shot at IBF and WBO Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko, forcing Klitschko to turn to the next man in line: Samuel Peter, a hard-hitting heavyweight with attitude.

The problem is Wladimir already beat him – five years ago.

Yes, it was an interesting fight, with Peter scoring three knockdowns along the way. But Klitschko won virtually every round in which he didn’t touch the canvas, thereby taking the decision in the end and proving himself superior to Peter.

Even then, there wasn’t a lot of interest in a rematch between the two. But Peter eventually managed to win a vacant heavyweight belt and position himself for another shot at Klitschko. At that point, with the rematch in demand, boxing politics reared their ugly head and Peter was instead forced to fight Vitali Klitschko, who completely humiliated him. Peter quit on his stool in a pitifully inept performance.

With Peter having lost to both Klitschko brothers, this is a rematch that doesn’t need to happen. Expect the promotion to consist of carefully selected highlights of the first fight pieced to look like Peter was more competitive than was really the case.

Sometimes a rematch from an exciting but mostly one-sided fight like Klitschko-Peter ends up blocking more important fights. This is the case with the November rematch between IBF Bantamweight Champion Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko. Last Halloween, they fought a thrilling bout that Perez won by a fairly wide margin by grabbing most of the close rounds. It was a sure-fire Fight of the Year candidate for 2009, but at the same time, it was clear that Perez was the better fighter.

In his most recent fight, however, Perez only managed a draw against Abner Mares in a back-and-forth match that many believed Mares deserved to win. So by going ahead with a rematch against Agbeko, Perez is in effect allowing one rematch to hold up an even more important one.

If Bernard Hopkins’ win over Roy Jones Jr. this past April produced anything positive, it’s the lesson that fighters need to strike while the iron is hot. Fight the rematches when fans want to see them, not seven years too late or when one or both fighters have severely regressed.

Rematches should serve to answer questions from the first fight, not simply reaffirm what fans already knew. In each of these three rematches, more likely than not, fight fans will come away thinking the man who was clearly superior the first time out is just as, if not more superior today.

At the end of the day, boxing fans just want to see good fights. And all of these scheduled rematches could ultimately prove to be memorable spectacles. But here’s hoping that if the same men have their hands raised the second time that they move on to more significant and, who knows, possibly even more exciting bouts.
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With Rojas out, Yuriorkis Gamboa will still have a unification bout on September 11 with IBF champion Orlando Salido. Fans would have preferred a bout with Celestino Caballero but Bob Arum, Gamboa’s promoter, shot that matchup down very quickly. While not ruling out a future Gamboa-Caballero bout, Arum said Caballero is too awkward to train for in such a short period of time.

Gamboa-Salido will be in Las Vegas and will accompany Anthony Peterson vs. Brandon Rios on an HBO doubleheader.
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Yonnhy Perez fought Abner Mares to a majority draw earlier this year, in his first title defense.

Aug. 6 in Hinkley, MN

NEW YORK (July 29, 2010) – Veteran Maurice “Sugar Moe” Harris, winner of the 2002 ‘Thunderbox Heavyweight Tournament,” is fully prepared to take advantage of his USBA title shot against Nagy “Dominican Dynamite” Aguilera, August 6 in Hinkley, Minnesota.

Harris (23-14-2, 10 KOs) had only fought twice in previous six years, prior to signing a promotional contract a year ago with Boxing 360, after which he is 3-0 and ready to go for the gold.

A year ago I didn’t know where I was going in boxing,” Harris explained. “I kept training and praying and then I came across Mario (Boxing 360 founder and CEO Dr. Mario Yagobi). I was so hungry. I told Mario if he took care of business outside of the ring, I’d take care of it inside. That became our motto. He believed in me and I believe in him. Mario has put me in the position I’m I right now.”

Harris-Aguilera shapes-up as a class match between a veteran and prospect. Maurice, 34, has defeated former world champion Sergey Lyakhovich, who was 16-0 at the time, as well as notables David Izon, Jimmy Thunder and Jeremy Williams. The 24-year-old Aguilera (16-3, 11 KOs), rated No. 15 by the IBF, knocked out former world champion Oleg Maskaev last December for his signature victory to date.

Harris, however, doesn’t believe Aguilera is a legitimate heavyweight prospect. “Who has he beaten,” Harris asked rhetorically. “He got lucky. Maskaev? He was done and Aguilera was supposed to beat him. No disrespect to him or his opponents, but in his only other tough fight, (Samuel) Peter stopped him (second round of IBF eliminator last March). I’m better than both of those guys (Maskaev and Peter). He’s just 16-3, not a true prospect.

“I have so much experience over him. Hey, anybody over 200 pounds can punch but I’ve been in with just about everybody (including world champions Larry Holmes, Chris Byrd and Henry Akinwande). I’m battled tested; never beaten up badly or cut. He’s young and will make mistakes – he’s going to get hurt. I’m proud that I’ve taken care of business and grateful for being in this position to fight for the USBA title. He’s not going to go in there and take away everything I’ve worked so hard for the last year. I’m ready to fight him right now.”

Go to www.Boxing360.com for more information about Maurice Harris or any of the Boxing 360 fighters.

NEW YORK (July 28, 2010) – WBO No. 2 rated heavyweight David “Tuamanator” Tua complained about a sore left shoulder during several training sessions leading up to his July 17th 12-round draw against former world title challenger Monte “Two Gunz” Barrett in Atlantic City. However, when asked about it by his trainer, Roger Bloodworth, David said he was okay to fight.

Tua (51-3-2, 43 KOs), reigning WBO Asia Pacific and WBO Oriental heavyweight champion, is a true warrior who refused to use the injury as an excuse, or even make post fight comments about his damaged shoulder.

“Two weeks prior to the fight,” Tua’s promoter, Gotham Boxing President Cedric Kushner, explained, “I went to the gym to watch David spar. That day he told his head trainer, Roger Bloodworth, that he didn’t want to spar as his shoulder didn’t feel right. His shoulder was obviously hurting weeks before the fight and therefore David wanted to take a cautious approach.”

Kushner added, “I have a letter from David’s doctor whom he went to see in California, where he had planned to spend a couple of weeks before returning home to New Zealand. The doctor suggested that he take some time off before returning to the ring.

“David specifically stated he didn’t want to take anything away from Monte, who fought the fight of his life, but that he felt entitled to set the record straight as to his injury.”

Tua has defeated world champions John Ruiz (KO1), Michael Moorer (KO1) and Oleg Maskaev (KO11), and Hasim Rahman (KO10)

Go to www.GothamBoxing.com for additional information about Tua or Gotham Boxing.

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PROVIDENCE (July 28, 2010) – Jimmy Burchfield, President of Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc., categorically denied reports issued today that lightweight prospect “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (18-1-1, 10 KOs) is a promotional free agent.

“He is not a free agent and promoters shouldn’t be speaking with him or his team,” Burchfield explained. “CES turned him pro and we have completely and totally honored our end of the contract. We just had him fighting on national television twice within 90 days.

“We’ve worked through his different managers and trainers, never wavering in our full support of Hank. Like with all of our fighters, other than actually fighting for them, we do everything we can to help them, in and out of the ring, including Hank. We still strongly believe in him.”

Go to www.cesboxing.com for information about CES or any of its fighters, including Lundy.
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For those fans sick of all the recent action that has been taking place outside the ring, the next two weeks or so should cleanse your palate and put the focus back where it belongs.

It starts this Saturday, July 31st, as Juan Manuel Marquez clashes with Juan Diaz in a rematch of 2009′s Fight of the Year. Both Marquez and Diaz are coming off embarrassing losses at higher weights, but are now back at their optimal weights and determined to seize control of the division. Aside from being a guaranteed war, this bout is crucial for the lightweight division.

On the undercard of Marquez-Diaz, we have Robert Guerrero-Joel Casamayor, Rocky Juarez-Jorge Linares, and Daniel Jacobs-Dmitry Pirog — all true crossroads, “must win” bouts. If there’s only one pay-per-view buy on your budget for the rest of this year, this should be it.

The following week, on August 7th, HBO brings us a doubleheader of new guard talents vs. old school pros. The main event features one of the brightest young stars in the sport, Devon Alexander, as he puts his his junior welterweight belts on the line against former world champ, Andreas Kotelnik. The last time we saw Alexander, he put on a beautiful boxing display before knocking out iron-chinned Juan Urango in a title unification contest. This could be a prelude to Alexander vs. Timothy Bradley and you can bet Alexander is aiming to make a point.

However, the opening bout may steal the thunder as young gun and defending IBF Light Heavyweight champ, Tavoris Cloud, takes on “The Road Warrior” Glen Johnson. Cloud is a true banger; Johnson is a hard-edged pressure fighter. This one has Fight of the Year candidate written all over it.

Then, on August 14th, also on HBO, we get a showdown of the two highest-ranked light heavyweights in the world as “Bad” Chad Dawson takes on Jean Pascal in a bout to determine who sits atop the 175 lb- class. If you like speed, precision and true craft, this one will definitely please you.

Also within this period of time:

Outstanding bantamweight prospect, Chris Avalos, gets his showcase on Showtime’s ShoBox on August 6th. Chris Arreola makes his return against Manuel Quezada on ESPN2, August 13, and there will be plenty of solid action all around on Fox Sports en Español and Telefutura.

So, If you’re tired of talking about promoters, deals and commissions and just want to get back to the business of boxing, then sit back and enjoy the next two weeks.

After a LONG, frustrating summer, you’ve earned this.
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On tonight’s show, we will be interviewing Matt Godfrey as he prepares for his August 21 bout against Marco Huck. We will also be previewing Saturday nights pay-per-view headlined by the 2009 Fight of the Year rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz. Corey will also catch us up on the latest boxing news. Use the player below to catch up on recent shows.

What rematches would you like to see in boxing? Email them to us at round13radio@yahoo.com.

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Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz II
Money Line: Marquez -400; Diaz +300
WBO/Super WBA Lightweight Title

Each fighter showed tremendous will during their first fight in 2009, a main reason the bout garnered Fight of the Year honors. After a back-and-forth battle, the fight was even on the scorecards going into the ninth round. Juan Manuel Marquez closed the show and was able to end the fight with a TKO of Juan Diaz with just 20 seconds remaining in the ninth round.

Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing. Only Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao rank higher. Despite losing to both men in his career, Marquez gave Pacquiao all he could handle on two separate occasions. Marquez-Diaz was certainly a great fight but not one that begged for a rematch. Marquez was hoping to lure Ricky Hatton back to the ring but Juan Diaz is not a bad Plan B. If fans purchase the pay-per-view based on the excitement level of the first fight, then they will be in store for a good night of boxing. Marquez is durable and difficult to stop. Always entertaining, it’s the quick fighters that give him trouble, like Floyd Mayweather Jr did last year.

Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) is no Floyd Mayweather Jr. But being Juan Diaz isn’t all that bad. He’s a smart kid (at 26 he’s currently studying for the LSAT) that never backs down from a fight. He had his problems with Paulie Malignaggi last year, but that style was not setup well for him. An aging Marquez, who turns 37 in August, works out much better. Diaz won’t have to chase Juan Manuel Marquez. That works out well for the Baby Bull as well as the fans. A collision in the center of the ring is the best gameplan for Diaz. While Diaz has shown good defense in the past, especially against Michael Katsidis in 2008, Diaz will need to think more offensively. Marquez is tough to hurt but he’s no stranger to the canvas. While rematches rarely live up to their predecessors’ standard, Juan Diaz and Juan Manuel Marquez ought to be a great nightcap to an exciting night of fights.

Staff Predictions

Corey Willinger: In the first fight, Marquez took everything Diaz threw at him for the first five rounds. After that, Diaz was spent and Marquez dissected him. Don’t expect Diaz to come out with that same fire this time, for fear of running out of gas again. As he showed in February of 2009, Marquez takes it to another level when fighting under intense pressure; with more time to call his shots, he’ll pick Diaz apart once more and take him out around the seventh round.

Paul Magno: Some will downplay this bout because both are coming from losses where they didn’t look very good, but now they’re back to their normal weights and both are looking for redemption. This is a true crossroads fight where the loser may as well retire and the winner gets one more shot at glory. There’s no way that this one won’t be entertaining, but I’m picking Juan Manuel Marquez this time for the same reason I picked him the last time. He’s smarter, sharper and just technically superior to Diaz. I see Diaz fighting to the very end this time, but I don’t see him winning. My pick is Marquez via solid, but not dominant unanimous decision in a candidate for Fight of the Year.

Trent Pusey: Both men are going to get hit a lot during this fight. According to CompuBox, there were a total of 540 punches landed in their first fight. That creates a lot of variables in predicting a fight such as cuts or swelling. In that case, Marquez becomes the pick because he is the more experienced fighter. In fact, it was a cut to Diaz that led to his downfall against Marquez the first time around. We don’t need Daniel Day-Lewis to know that there will be blood. Diaz will put up a great effort but he will get stopped in the later rounds. I fully expect cuts and/or swelling to play a part in the finish as Marquez puts Diaz away in the tenth round.

Part 1: Daniel Jacobs vs. Dmitry Pirog
Part 2: Jorge Linares vs. Rocky Juarez
Part 3: Joel Casamayor vs. Robert Guerrero
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