Facing the most experienced opponent of his young career, Douglas “El Peligroso” Marroquin defeated Lasha Gurguliani by majority decision Saturday night at the Connecticut Convention Center. “You are looking at a future world champion,’ said promoter Jimmy Burchfield immediately after the victory. “You got stronger as the fight went on.” The rematch between John Gotti III and Daniel ‘The Eagle Catcher” Augare – which saw Gotti avenge a 2025 defeat to Augare - was the main event, but Marroquin-Gurguliani was the consensus “Fight of the Night.” Marroquin was looking for his twelfth professional win and Gurguliani entered the bout with a 20-6 record, far more seasoned than anyone Marroquin had fought previously.
“I’ve got more experience now with a fighter of that caliber,” said Marroquin after Saturday’s victory. “I feel every fight I’m getting better and better. I’m growing as a fighter, as a person, mentally, spiritually, even physically.” He added, “I’m learning new skills off people. It was hard because he’s a lefty. Southpaws are hard, and I think that’s one of the reasons we were bumping heads so much, and that’s why we got cut.”
Also, Marroquin notes he’s the “shortest middleweight in the world,” so at 5’6” he has to really try to work his way inside against opponents to score points and connect with power shots. A clash of heads opened a cut over his left eye in the third round, and one frame later, Gurguliani was cut just above his left eye. Those battle scars, however, were signs that Marroquin was finally making headway against the taller Gurguliani, because in the first couple of rounds, Gurguliani was doing a masterful jab of using his height and reach, as well as his legs, to keep Marroquin at bay. He was exhibiting beautiful lateral movement, with an ever-present right jab that sometimes had stiff straight lefts coming behind it. The fight may have had some in the crowd wondering if Marroquin had bitten off more than he could chew.
However, Gurguliani’s dominance was short-lived. Marroquin began to turn things around in the third round. Connecting with a picture-perfect right uppercut in the opening minute, he followed up with a barrage that had one boxer friend yelling, “He hurt, Doug!”
The fourth round also belonged to Marroquin, who was fighting through dripping blood from both men, to win over the judges, as well as the fans in attendance. Gurguliani was still in the fight, however, landing some solid blows in between Marroquin’s forward march attacks. “I like a bloodfest,” said Marroquin. “I like blood. I like pushing our bodies to the limit.”
Marroquin added seeing his own blood makes him realize, “Oh crap, the fight is real now,” and “Mentally, for them, when they see blood on me, and see me keep coming, and see me keep punching, their whole demeanor seems to change.”
Gurguliani would resort to increased holding as the fight wore on. Now 12-0 with 6 KOs, Marroquin took round five with a few big shots, and in the sixth and final round, Gurguliani slammed Marroquin to the canvas with a wrestling move. Displaying superior athleticism, Marroquin sprang to his feet with a smooth acrobatic maneuver, perhaps to let Gurguliani know roughhouse moves have no effect on him. Soon after, a huge straight right hand knocked Gurguliani back a step. Another right followed soon after, just before the final bell.
The bout’s completion was met with claps of appreciation. The fans had just witnessed a quality bout featuring a stalker versus a quality boxer. In the end, the stalker found his prey. “That’s his thing,” said Marroquin. “He knows how to move. He’s tricky. But as the rounds go on, I get better and better. If they don’t get me out of there in the first couple of rounds, it’s over. I’m going to start picking it up. I’m a start getting better. I’m a start picking out whatever they’re doing, and adapting to that. They can’t deal with this pressure.”
Asked if Gurguliani’s distant control over the first couple of frames was somewhat frustrating, Marroquin said, “It wasn’t frustrating. It was just being patient, seeing what he was coming out with, trying to assess the situation. He was keeping me at bay, using his jab, just popping it. He would come in, throw shots, step back and move. That was really smart. Then, whenever he felt I was about to pressure him, he would grab. Veteran moves, Nice, good tactics.”
Marroquin had a hotel in Hartford that night but didn’t get to enjoy it, as he made a trip to a Hartford hospital to get medical attention for his cuts. However, seeing it was a long wait, he decided to make his way to Norwalk Hospital, near their hometown of Stamford.
Despite a late bedtime, he and his family were up relatively early on Sunday. “Right now I’m at church praising the Lord,” he said during a telephone interview. Asked if he planned a little victory party later in the day, he responded, “I’ll probably eat something, go for a coffee, and that’s how we’re going to celebrate, being with family.”
Marroquin added, “We’re not doing anything crazy. We don’t do like that. We stay humble. We stay grounded.”
