Juan Manuel Marquez returns to Showtime on August 5!

11/06/2006

Juan Manuel Marquez returns to Showtime on August 5!

Universally recognized as two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world and one of only four sets of Mexican brothers in history to win a world title, Juan Manuel and Rafael Marquez of Mexico City will be featured when the 20th anniversary of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING continues Saturday, Aug. 5, on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

 

            Long recognized as one of the most talented featherweights in the world, Juan (44-3-1, 33 KOs) will take on Terdsak Jandarng (24-1, 15 KOs) for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Interim 126-pound title in the main event. In a rematch, hard-hitting Rafael (35-3, 31 KOs) will defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight belt against Silence Mabuza (19-1, 15 KOs).

 

Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, will promote the world championship doubleheader from MONTBLEU Resort Casino & Spa at Lake Tahoe.

 

A former IBF and World Boxing Association (WBA) 126-pound champion, Juan will forever be remembered for his spectacular performance against Manny Pacquaio when he rallied from three first-round knockdowns to earn a draw. A terrifically talented boxer-puncher, Marquez is coming off a 12-round decision loss to local favorite Chris John in a WBA title fight April 3, 2006, in Indonesia.

 

Jandarng, of Thailand, is ranked No. 2 in the WBO, one notch ahead of Marquez. Jandarng has won six straight since suffering his only loss on a 12-round decision to former world 122-pound champion Joan Guzman in a WBO featherweight elimination bout on Aug. 26, 2005. In his last outing, Jandarng registered a unanimous 12-round decision over Pedro Malco on May 10, 2006. 

 

A winner of 14 in a row and unbeaten since November 2000, Rafael Marquez is regarded as one of the most talented pound for pound in the world. A knockout winner over former world champs Mark Johnson, Tim Austin and Mauricio Pastrana,  Marquez retained his title a sixth time with a fourth-round TKO over Mabuza Nov. 5, 2006 on SHOWTIME. Marquez scored a knockdown in the first and won every round before the slugfest was halted because of cuts 2:08 into the fourth round.

 

 Mabuza, of Johannesburg, South Africa, performed gallantly throughout against Marquez and got in his fair share of solid shots, but he was done in by several cuts around the eyes. Mabuza protested that it was a headbutt that caused the cuts, and the IBF ordered a rematch. Mabuza, who entered the fight with Marquez as the International Boxing Organization (IBO) titleholder, has fought once since the disputed loss. On April 20, 2006, he won a unanimous 12-round decision over Ricardo “Chapo” Vargas in an IBF elimination bout. Mabuza is currently the top-rated 118 pounder in the IBF.