THERE was a time when it looked like Marquez would always be third place to Barrera and Morales in that trio of wonderful Mexicans. Despite accusations about how he has gone up in weight – he’s now operating as a fully fledged welterweight near the end of his illustrious career – Marquez’s huge knockout of Pacquiao is one of the defining images in modern boxing. He’d pushed Pacquiao to the wire on three previous occasions (one draw), cleaned up with wins at lightweight over Joel Casamayor, Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, defeated Barrera at super-feather and beat a whole host of champions including Derrick Gainer, Robbie Peden, Orlando Salido and Victor Polo. The one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather was made at catchweight, which “Money” did not make and had to pay a fine for.
Best 25 fighters of the last 25 years: Number Nine
Tris Dixon lists the best 25 boxers from the past quarter of a century
