A good way to know Juan Manuel Marquez better is to go and watch him train in the Romanza Gym in Mexico City’s no frills Iztacalco barrio.
Affable yet incredibly single mindedly focused, through the most excruciating sets of abdominal crunches, sparring sessions or being hit on the head by two handfuls of plastic tubing, to hone his reflexes, Juan Manuel still has time to grin while bearing it.
His only indulgent concession to luxury in this sweatshop, that’s honed burnished master craftsmen like brother Rafael, Daniel Zaragoza, Gilberto Roman and Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, is an occasional swig of water or a rinse of his bubblegum pink mouth guard.
Encased with an ample body shell, trainer Jose Luis Zaragoza gasps and grunts as a massive short right uppercut from Juan wallops his midriff, and then two arched hooks move upstairs to sting his weary padded hands. The whole process is being sagely masterminded, orchestrated and observed by wiry and wily Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, who is seemingly spliced to the top ring rope emblazed with the logo of Golden Boy.
The Juan Manuel Marquez of today is a ripped one hundred and forty four pounds in weight. Popeye would be proud of his pumped arms and noticeably more bulky shoulders. Running at high altitude near hopefully extinct volcanoes, at Nevado De Toluca, has maintained and retained his lightning speed. Juan Manuel has had five meticulous months to prepare himself for his September 19th showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, due to Floyd’s ticklish rib problem. He’s absolutely ready to savor the biggest challenge of his career. The added bonus is that the bell will ring during Viva Mexico Independence week.
Smaller, older and lighter without a perfect professional record, Juan Manuel Marquez is in dazzlingly superb shape. He seems to be splendidly ignoring all the dog eared missives of a well crafted script, that a lightweight can’t grow into a welterweight within the space of one fight. He’s quietly but brimmingly confident that he’s going to hammer the rust off Floyd, who’s not fought since defeating Ricky Hatton in December 2007.
So is sparring partner Abraham Alejandro Barrera from Monterrey. The rangy long armed welterweight who has recorded twelve KO’s in an unbeaten career of thirteen fights, has been standing up to the Marquez onslaught, while Panamanian featherweight Antonio Fernandez (10-1-1), has been losing an almost daily game of ring tag.
Cuban Roberto Norris, a veteran of 230 amateur fights, who was in Floyd’s last two training camps is now with Juan Manuel. He says Marquez is physically and mentally at a peak and Floyd can be defeated. Norris advises one possible key to it, is to pressure Floyd on his left flank and then when he moves right, to drop a big right on him. Watching Juan Manuel Marquez swivel on a dime, jabbing and striking with the speed, but more significantly with cobra like the accuracy, shows something like this is definitely feasible.
Juan Manuel has a much more detailed and varied outlook. He tells BoxingScene.com: “There’s no specific set strategy. It will be tailored round by round to overcome Mayweather’s style. I’m going to use intelligence, savvy, speed and every drop of experience that I’ve accumulated over my entire career to defeat him.
“This is the most important fight for me, due to the type of bout which is beaconing against the best pound for pound in the world, who’s undefeated, with a great defense.
“I’ve been active and busy, but he’s spent more than a year and a half out of the ring. Yet, I know he’s always in condition and I’m ready for the very best Floyd. I am ready and I’m prepared.”
A dedicated student as well as exponent of the noble art of defense, Juan Manuel Marquez also has the ingrained class to praise a more than worthy upcoming opponent. He reflects: “He’s a very complete boxer. Up in the ring I will be very astute, work with speed and reflexes and everything I’ve got, in order to open up routes, because he has great defenses. It’s important to have this appreciation in order to win. I’m going to pressure him, but intelligently.”
And even in the midst of all this dedication and formula one work rate, Juan Manuel is honest enough to admit he’s burning for a third tear up with Manny Pacquiao. He said: “My mind is set on September 19th, but the fans want to see me take on Manny Pacquiao for a third time. My heart is set on that too. It’s a great motivating factor for me right now. I’m looking for and determined to come up with a surprise.”
Source: boxingscene.com
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