Juan Manuel Marquez and Joel Casamayor dual signed Everlast laced glove. (Signed at the final press conference prior to their fight), billed "The Challenge", 13th September 2008, MGM Grand, Las Vegas.

Marquez W TKO 11

In the first four rounds of the bout, Marquez continually walked into counter lefts form Casamayor. It took Marquez until the fifth round to be able to find range with his right hand. By the fifth round, a cut over his right eye was opened and as the fight wore on, an abrasion on the bridge of his nose bled along with the cut over his eye. Rounds five, six, seven and eight were rounds where Marquez took the initiative and landed straight punches from outside, but he was also nailed by Casamayor whenever he lunged forward. In the late rounds of the bout, Marquez finally began to find his rhythm, adding his hook and choice body shots to his jab and straight right. Casamayor was dropped by a left hook as he pulled away from an intense exchange two minutes into the eleventh round. Casamayor got up and immediately tried to smother Marquez by holding, but Marquez let his hands go in furious combination, repeatedly stunning Casamayor who fell into the ropes where Marquez measured him for a perfect right hand that sent him again to the canvas, where the referee waved the bout off.

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One of boxing's best, pound for pound, Juan Manuel Marquez has thrilled fight fans for over 13 years with his pinpoint accuracy and fight ending power. Best remembered for his thrilling 12 round draw with Manny Pacquiao in 2004, this former WBA and IBF and current interim WBO featherweight champion has plenty left in the tank as he chases after the big fights in the coming years.

Born in Mexico City, Marquez is one of eight children whose father was an ex-pro boxer with 35 fights to his credit. Entering the gym for the first time at the age of eight, Juan and his brother, current bantamweight world champion Rafael, quickly took to the sweet science and he began fighting in amateur tournaments at 13.

After a 35-1 amateur career that included a pair of Golden Gloves tournament wins, Marquez entered the pro ranks at the age of 19 on May 29, 1993 and lost his first bout via disqualification to Javier Duran.

Marquez wouldn't lose again for another six years as he tore through the fight scenes in Mexico and California, compiling a record of 29-1 that included a win over Agapito Sanchez and an NABO title, which he defended seven times.

This success earned him a shot at the WBA featherweight title on September 11, 1999, where Marquez would lose a controversial decision to then-unbeaten champion Freddie Norwood.

Determined to get back in the title picture, Marquez was back in the ring two months later, stopping Remigio Molina in eight rounds. Nine more wins would follow, and two fights after he stopped Robbie Peden in ten rounds for the NABF and USBA titles, 'Dinamita' got his second world title shot, this time against veteran Manuel Medina for the vacant IBF crown on February 1, 2003.

This time, Marquez would not be denied, and he halted Medina in seven rounds to win his first world title.

Two fights later, Marquez added the WBA strap when he won a seven round technical decision over Derrick Gainer, and on May 8th, 2004, he would face Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao in his first super fight.

And things didn't look good for Marquez early, as he was knocked down three times in the opening round by the explosive Pacquiao. But from the second round on, the fight was all Marquez, as he put on a stirring boxing clinic. Unfortunately, his early points deficit cost him the bout and he was forced to accept a draw. But among boxing fans, his stock rose ten fold.

After successful title defenses over Orlando Salido and Victor Polo, Marquez traveled to Indonesia to take on hometown hero Chris John on March 4, 2006 and lost his title via a highly disputed 12 round decision that many thought 'Dinamita' had won.

Disappointed, but not discouraged, Marquez returned to the ring on August 5th and earned the interim WBO featherweight championship with a seventh round stoppage of Thailand's Terdsak Jandaeng. On October 21st, he will defend this title for the first time against the Philippines' Jimrex Jaca.





Joel "El Cepillo" Casamayor Johnson born July 12, 1971 in Guantanamo Cuba, who turned pro after defecting to the United States on the eve of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The nickname "El Cepillo", literally translated to "the brush", comes from his uppercut, which rakes his opponents across the face. Also, for his ability to "brush off" punches from his opponents.

He won the NABF Super Featheweight title in 1999. Later that year, he won the WBA Super Featherweight title. In 2002, he lost that title in a controversial unification bout with WBO champion Acelino Freitas. At one point in the fight, Casamayor slipped and the referee ruled it a knockdown. Casamayor also had a point deducted for a late blow. Many believe Casamayor should have won the fight. In 2004, Diego Corrales, whom Casamayor stopped in 2003, defeated him for the vacant WBO Super Featherweight title via a very close decision. Casamayor failed to take the WBC Lightweight title from José Luis Castillo later that year because the judges scored what seemed to be a clear win for Casamayor for Castillo. After the loss to Castillo, Casamayor's career appeared to be in a downward spiral and he was set up with undefeated rising prospect Almazbek Raiymkulov in June 2005. In a close, spirited battle the bout ended in a draw, with many believing that Casamayor's best days were behind him. After two victories against little known opposition, in October 2006, Casamayor yet again took on the popular Diego Corrales, and defeated him by split decision, winning the WBC Lightweight title and recognition as the world lightweight champion by Ring Magazine. He was stripped of the WBC title for signing to fight then WBO lightweight champion Freitas rather than defend against his mandatory challenger, WBC interim champion David Diaz. Diaz was named champion. (The Casmayor v Freitas lightweight title bout never took place. Freitas ended up fighting and losing to WBA champion Juan Diaz) After Casamayor threatened the WBC with legal action, he was named as their interim champ.

He defended the interim championship as well as The Ring's title against Jose Armando Santa Cruz on November 11, 2007 and won a controversial split decision.
The WBC removed Casamayor's interim title when, instead of fighting a rematch with Santa Cruz, he signed to fight undefeated Michael Katsidis, the WBO interim lightweight titlist. On March 22, 2008, Casamayor became the first man to defeat the Australian Katsidis when he won the fight with a TKO in the 10th round. With the win, Casamayor retained his Ring Magazine world title and added the WBO interim championship to his collection.
Casamayor was defeated by Juan Manuel Marquez on September 13, 2008. Marquez won by TKO in the 11th round at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas. Marquez (49-4-1, 36 KOs) floored Casamayor with a right hand that landed perfectly on Casamayor's chin. Casamayor rose from the canvas, and Marquez immediately jumped on him and started swinging with timed big blows. Casamayor swung back, but he went down again with about 7 seconds left in the round. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in and stopped the fight before Casamayor had a chance to stand up again. This caused some anger from fans, however, Casamayor was gracious in defeat and said, "Marquez was the best this night." The official judges had the fight scored 95-95, 95-95, and 97-93 for Marquez.
Casamayor is a unionized boxer, a member of the Joint Association of Boxers.