- 17 hours ago
Rafael Marquez defends his IBF Bantamweight Title against undefeated no 1. contender and IBO Champion Silence Mabuza on Showtime Boxing
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Boxing people excited about this one.
00:02Heavy-handed Rafael Marquez ready to make a mandatory defense of his IBF Bantamweight crown
00:07against unbeaten number one contender Silence Mabuza.
00:10A fight that was supposed to happen back on October 1st, but Marquez postponed because of the flu.
00:18And the champion, Rafael Marquez, who's about to make his sixth defense of the title for the last few years.
00:24The highest profile Mexican fighters have been Marco Antonio Barrera and Eric Barrales.
00:29Marquez isn't as recognizable as those famed champions, but pound for pound he might hit hotter than the both of them.
00:35If you want proof, how about the fact that Marquez has KO'd Mark Tusharpe Johnson, Tim Austin, and Mauricio Pastrana,
00:42none of whom had ever been stopped before.
00:47Well, Al, the difference in ring experience could be a major factor in this bout tonight.
00:51It really could, Steve.
00:52You know, Silence Mabuza, at 29 years of age, has beaten some good fighters like Cruz Carbajal, a former WBO champ.
01:00That was in his last match.
01:01And he brings skill and power into this fight.
01:04His manager and trainer, Nick Durant, who's trained several South American world champions,
01:08says Mabuza might be the best of all of those fighters.
01:12But that high praise aside, he's not really faced as many top fighters as Marquez.
01:16And this is his first appearance on boxing's pressure-packed center stage.
01:21Now, the 30-year-old Marquez is rightfully considered by most in boxing as the best battleweight in the world.
01:27His 30 knockouts and 34 wins tells you he thinks knockout in every fight.
01:32Marquez wants to push Mabuza back, especially against the ropes.
01:42Mabuza can be hit with an uppercut on the inside, and Marquez has a good one.
01:48Now, even though Marquez is thought of as a big right-handed puncher,
01:52he has a good left hook, and Mabuza is vulnerable to this punch.
01:55By using the left hook to the body, Marquez sets that punch up to the head.
02:03And even a counter-right hand won't necessarily deter him.
02:10Mabuza has not been down in 475 amateur and 18 pro fights.
02:15A Marquez left hook might do it tonight.
02:17Mabuza's hand speed can be dazzling, and he'll need that to keep Marquez off balance.
02:27Mabuza bends in and gets hit with uppercuts.
02:30Bad idea against Marquez.
02:32Mabuza can't afford to stand right in front of the power of Marquez's punches.
02:38Got to give him angles.
02:39This fight is big as it gets for South African silence.
02:47Mabuza, who knows that a former boxer by the name of Nelson Mandela,
02:52is watching back home, along with the president of South Africa.
02:56Yes, he's an unknown commodity here in the States, but let me tell you something.
03:00He's got game.
03:01Mabuza, a.k.a. African Spice, told us this is not about money.
03:05It's about honor, prestige, and a world title, Al.
03:09It really is.
03:10By the way, I mentioned that Nick Durant had trained South American fighters.
03:13No, South African champions, of course.
03:16You know, Mabuza said to us in the interview,
03:18this fight is too serious to be taken seriously.
03:22If I take it too seriously, I'm just going to tense up,
03:24which I thought was an intriguing comment.
03:26What it means is he and Durant know he's got to approach this fight, Steve,
03:30like any other fight, but that's hard to do.
03:32Well, we'll soon find out, Al, if silence is golden.
03:36And if he beats a guy, many consider the class of the division.
03:40He will make believers out of a lot of people.
03:43Some already believe he has a very realistic chance here tonight,
03:47even though Marquez hasn't lost in five years.
03:51Fully recovered from the flu, which delayed this fight.
04:04The champion, 10-year pro, Rafael Marquez,
04:07who trained in Novato, Mexico, 15,000 feet above sea level.
04:12He comes down in altitude here in Tahoe, which is 6,200 feet.
04:16For years, laboring in the shadow of his more famous older brother,
04:20former featherweight champ Juan Manuel,
04:22but of late really making a name for himself with impressive wins over top guys.
04:26And if he wins, Al, he actually picks up an additional belt.
04:29Yeah, he does.
04:30That other title is Mabusa's IBO crowd.
04:33You know, we get a lot of inquiries at Showtime.
04:35Why do we mention all these titles?
04:37Well, we do it, really, because it's journalistically correct.
04:40Whatever your opinion, it's part of the story.
04:43Fighters covet those belts, and those titles and organizations often dictate
04:47who the fighters are going to fight.
04:49We're not commenting on the importance of one belt over another
04:52or even endorsing the idea that all these titles exist.
04:56What we're doing, Steve, is simply reporting on them.
04:59To not do so seems to us it leaves out a part of the story.
05:02So we want to let you know why we're doing that.
05:05All right, so two belts at stake, IVF, IBO.
05:08Marquez, the IVF champion, and Mabusa, the IBO.
05:12Let's check the numbers as we go to the tail of the tape here in Lake Tahoe.
05:17The champion, just a year older.
05:20Marquez, big and powerful for this weight class, threatening to move up.
05:23But tonight he meets his physical match, almost identical throughout.
05:27And at yesterday's weigh-in, Marquez initially, 118 and a quarter,
05:31came back an hour later and made weight.
05:34Now we go to the key rules for this world title fight.
05:37There's no standing eight count, no three knockdown rule.
05:39A fighter cannot be saved by the bell in any round.
05:43If an accidental hit-butt occurs before the end of the fourth round,
05:46the fight is ruled a no decision.
05:48If it happens after the end of round four, they go to the scorecards.
05:51So here at Caesars Tahoe, we are getting ready for Rafael Marquez versus Silenced Mabusa
06:02for the IVF Bantamweight Championship and the IBO.
06:05Let's get the formal introductions from our ring announcer, Jimmy Lennon Jr.
06:08Ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening to you and welcome to Caesars Tahoe here in Lake Tahoe, Nevada,
06:20as we have a big night of action in store for you.
06:24And it's all brought to you by Gary Shaw Productions in association with Caesars Tahoe and Showtime.
06:31This bout coming away is a unification title bout.
06:35It is sanctioned by the IBF, President Marion Mohamed, Supervisor David McCulloch,
06:41along with the IBO, the President Ed Levine, Supervisor Hilton Whitaker III.
06:47Now we introduce to you our three judges scoring this bout from ringside.
06:52From Las Vegas, Nevada, Adelaide Byrd.
06:56From Reno, Nevada, Burt Clements.
06:59And from St. Paul, Minnesota, Denny Nelson.
07:02Now introducing our third man to the ring, the referee in charge of this bout.
07:07He is working in this, his 12th world title bout, Norm Budden.
07:14All right, fans, here we go.
07:1612 rounds of boxing for the IBF and IBO Bantamweight Championship of the World.
07:24Introducing to you first on my right, he is fighting out of the blue corner, wearing white trunks with leopard trim,
07:35joining us all the way from Johannesburg, South Africa.
07:39He weighed in at the Bantamweight limit of 118 pounds.
07:43He is undefeated in his campaign to the ring with 18 wins, no losses, 15 wins coming by way of knockout.
07:52Ladies and gentlemen, here is the IBO Bantamweight Champion, ranked the IBF number one contender.
08:00Introducing the undefeated silence, African Spice Mabuza.
08:08And his opponent across the ring on my left, the defending IBF world champion, fighting out of the red corner,
08:20wearing red trunks with black trim, hailing from Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.
08:27He weighed in the same as his opponent, 118 pounds even.
08:33His record stands at 34 wins, three losses with 30 big wins coming by way of knockout.
08:41Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, he is making the sixth defense of his title.
08:45Please welcome the hard-hitting IBF Bantamweight Champion of the World.
08:51Introducing Raphael Monte.
09:00Once again, Norm Biden is our referee in charge.
09:03Now give instructions.
09:06Hi, gentlemen.
09:06This is for the IBF and IBO World Bantamweight title.
09:10You received your instructions in the dressing room.
09:13Anything below here will be considered low.
09:16Anything below here is considered low.
09:18Touch him up, good luck.
09:21Remember, protect yourself at all times.
09:28Out of 55 combined fights for Marquez and Mabuza, 48 have ended in knockout.
09:34Marquez known to fall behind and come back with his power.
09:37He can turn it with one big punch.
09:39And for unbeaten, silenced Mabuza, 15 of his 18 wins by KO, but he is also very quick and he has blazing hand speed.
09:49This one with all the elements of a crowd pleaser, a no-nonsense champion, Rafael Marquez in the red with the black trim.
09:57And a flashy challenger, silenced Mabuza in the leopard trunks.
10:02Both guys not known as fast starters.
10:06Marquez, one of those powerful little guys, very strong, terrific puncher, big right, but watch out for the left hook.
10:12That can do a lot of damage.
10:14He's a risk taker.
10:16And like so many power punchers, he'll also taste some leather.
10:20Mabuza, a complete package.
10:23Power, speed, chin, heart, all the attributes you look for in a winner.
10:26Or also as an added bonus now, he can switch to southpaw.
10:29Yeah, and should he do that, it might be a big issue for him because Marquez has done very well against southpaws.
10:36Tim Austin, Mark Johnson, and Marquez said that very simply.
10:40If he switches to southpaw, I will knock him out.
10:42That remains to be seen.
10:43Already in this fight, Marquez has landed a very nice uppercut, and that is a potentially big weapon against Mabuza.
10:51Marquez was a 5-1 underdog when he came from behind a knockout previously unbeaten.
10:55Tim Austin to lift the title.
10:58Also rallied to knock out Too Sharp Johnson, as Al pointed out, both lefties.
11:04But two very polished fighters in there.
11:07As for last month's postponement by Marquez, it did not sit well with the Mabuza camp.
11:13A very expensive ordeal.
11:14They had to fly from Reno back to South Africa and then back here to Tahoe.
11:19First there was speculation, Marquez injured his hand, then the flu, which just raised out for Mabuza's people.
11:29You know, this first part of the fight, very important for silence, Mabuza.
11:33The biggest stage he's ever been on, as we pointed out.
11:35And while Marquez is thought of as not the quickest starter, he's been really sharp so far.
11:4130 of Marquez's 34 wins by knockout.
11:46By and large, considered the best at 118 pounds.
11:49Marquez in the red with the black trim.
11:51He told us he's targeting WBA champ Vladimir Sidorenko.
11:55And after that, move up to 122, where the most recognizable name is WBC champ Ascolario.
12:00But right now, he's got a handful in front of him.
12:04In South African, silence Mabuza.
12:07You know, already in this first round, Marquez has used his left a lot, both as a hook and an uppercut.
12:12Mabuza trying very hard to counter with his own right hand.
12:16So he's Mabuza, who's a sharp, oh, big hook.
12:19Oh, Mabuza crumples to the canvas.
12:22Oh, Mabuza, opening round.
12:25Four, five, six, seven, eight.
12:31You all right?
12:32Walk to me.
12:33Down for the first time in his career, pro or amateur.
12:38And that includes 475 amateur fights.
12:41Well, the left hook, I thought that was the punch that would get him.
12:44And boy, it already has.
12:45And he's in trouble.
12:47Fortunately, he's got only five seconds to go in the opening round.
12:51Can he make it?
12:52Yes, he does.
12:56For his sake, it came towards the end of the round, but he stumbles to the corner.
13:03Standing too much.
13:04Standing too much in front of him.
13:10He's going to come out smoky, no?
13:12Okay, man.
13:12Yeah, I'm okay.
13:13Run, sir.
13:15Run, sir.
13:16I'm going to start moving a bit.
13:23I don't want to mix with him yet.
13:25I'm going to start moving around a bit.
13:26Well, the left hook for Marquez, a punch we suspected would be an important one, was right
13:31off the get-go.
13:32There's the hook.
13:33It is a beautiful, short, compact left hook that got Mabusa.
13:37He's lucky he wasn't hit with that right hand as he was going down.
13:41And part of the reason he was hit is that he did not work angles.
13:46Now he's up and big issues.
13:48Now the right hand for Marquez, which, of course, is traditionally a good weapon for him,
13:52pushes him against the ropes.
13:54Tough round.
13:54Needless to say for Mabusa.
13:56And here we go, round two, and Mabusa doesn't look very anxious to continue.
14:02A crushing left hook.
14:04Mabusa really blinking.
14:07And let's see if he can recover.
14:10Mabusa being tested for the very first time in his career, in his 19th fight.
14:16He's 18-0 coming in and goes down from a left hook lay to the first.
14:20You know, it's astonishing.
14:21475 amateur fights at 18th throw.
14:24Never down.
14:25And the power of Marquez at Bantamweight is really extraordinary.
14:29And what's amazing about it is, we know the right hand is powerful,
14:33but look at him throw the way he threw that compact, short left hook.
14:36And interestingly, Marquez not known as a torrent starter.
14:40Mabusa must move and give angles to Marquez if he's going to survive in this fight.
14:45He cannot stand in front of him, and that's what he's done.
14:47That's what Nick Durant told him he couldn't do.
14:49So now we'll examine the recuperative power.
14:52And there's a low blow with a left hook by Marquez.
14:57And another good left hand by Marquez that got through the guard of Mabusa.
15:04Keep him up.
15:05So it is all Raphael Marquez who is trimming with confidence here in round two.
15:11But back comes Mabusa with a swift combination upstairs.
15:15Then a left by Marquez.
15:16So it's a good give and take here.
15:24By the left hand, when he doubles with the left hook, Marquez can land it almost any time he wants.
15:29That's the big chink in Mabusa's armistice.
15:32And he has not, he just, he hasn't improved during this fight in blocking that punch.
15:37So we have some early drama here in Lake Tahoe.
15:43The good news from Mabusa, at least he's firing back.
15:46Now when he's at his best, he has great hand speed with combinations,
15:50but he just hasn't been able to get any of those going in this fight.
15:52He's been on the defensive for the most part.
15:55So Marquez getting off to the fast start, but he's one of those guys who is not in a hurry.
16:01He picks his spots, he's being patient, and he's waiting for another moment.
16:07He didn't come right out in the second and jump all over Mabusa.
16:11Some guys might have done that.
16:1820 of Marquez's 30 KOs in three rounds or less.
16:2315 within two rounds.
16:24Oh, nice sequence for Marquez.
16:34What a tremendous start to this fight.
16:36And, you know, Marquez himself admits he's usually not this great in the first couple rounds.
16:40He's been spectacular.
16:44Training in high altitude.
16:47And that's a good left hand by Mabusa.
16:49Another big left hand.
16:51Three in a row.
16:52Unanswered by Marquez.
16:54Terrific comeback towards the end of the second round by Mabusa.
16:59Pretty close it to him.
17:04We go back to the first round where this left hand is going to get Mabusa.
17:11And the left hand of Marquez, as we see it, has been a tremendous weapon.
17:16He jabs and then, boom, there's the left hand.
17:18It's short, it's compact, and he's got Mabusa in a left-hooking contest with him.
17:23But, silence Mabusa, we talked about his hand speed.
17:27And in the second round, he was able to unleash a little bit of those combinations.
17:34Working on the inside, throwing a right hand that followed those left hooks.
17:39The right hand is where he's supposed to be.
17:41Left hook combination is not what he wants to do.
17:43But, Marquez, who has great power in that right hand, getting that punch in as well.
17:51Blade on, blade on.
17:53What is this loading, Chris?
17:54Now, let's see, as far as Mabusa is concerned, if he starts landing combinations to the body.
18:00That is an effective weapon for him from studying tapes.
18:04It really slows down opponents.
18:06Let's see if he goes to that strategy.
18:08Even though Mabusa was able to come back toward the end of that round scene,
18:13the one thing that I think is still dangerous for him is
18:15that mostly the punch he was landing was the left hook.
18:18And if you exchange left hooks with Marquez, you're going to get hit with one of his.
18:23And I think the jab and a straight right hand, a much more effective weapon.
18:26Keeps going after the left hook.
18:30Mabusa staying in the conventional stance throughout.
18:32We haven't seen him switch to southpaw as of yet.
18:37The crowd chanting Marquez.
18:39Keep him up. Keep him up.
18:42Round three scheduled for 12 for the IVF and IVO Bannerweight title.
18:47Now, you know, let's give Silence Mabusa some credit here
18:50because for a guy that's never, ever, ever tasted the canvas in all those fights,
18:55he has done a good job of keeping his wits about him and staying in this fight.
18:58Now, going down for the very first time in your career, pro or amateur,
19:04has to do something to you psychologically, I would think,
19:06but he seems to be shrugging it off nicely.
19:09What he's not doing, though, is giving enough angles to Marquez,
19:13standing primarily in front of him.
19:15When you do that with Rafael Marquez,
19:17you give him great opportunities to unload those power punches.
19:22Mabusa always in great condition,
19:24and that could be a reason he has done so well here
19:27and coming back from the knockdown.
19:30He is just as effective late in fights than he is early.
19:35And let's see how far this one goes
19:36to see if that is tested.
19:42Boy, he, Mabusa just walked into a left hand by Marquez,
19:45and so he was coming in, the impact double.
19:52We approach the final minute of round three,
19:55Mabusa in the leopard trunks.
19:56The challenger down late in the finish.
19:59From a left hook, there's a nice right hand to the head by Mabusa.
20:02Now he is throwing straight punches and throwing them hard.
20:06I'll tell you the other thing.
20:07Rafael Marquez is landing more power punches,
20:10but Mabusa is shrugging them off a little better.
20:13Shrugging them off, that's an overstatement.
20:14He's getting through them.
20:16That's a better way to put it.
20:17Yeah, Marquez's shots are more powerful,
20:20but Mabusa is very accurate.
20:22He has pinpoint sharpness in his punches.
20:28These are heavy body shots by Marquez.
20:32This is why in 30, he is regarded
20:34as the best phantom weight in the world.
20:37He's a smart fighter.
20:38He's not just a power puncher.
20:39We see all the skills involved.
20:41That's a good lead right hand by Marquez.
20:45Marquez finishing the third strong.
20:48Wow.
20:48Shrugging, toe-by-toe in the center of the right.
20:52He's not fighting.
20:53Time!
21:07Just give him water.
21:15Nice, Silent.
21:16Just give him up.
21:17He doesn't like that.
21:18He doesn't like that.
21:19He doesn't like that.
21:20He doesn't like that.
21:21He doesn't like that.
21:22He doesn't like that.
21:23He doesn't like that.
21:26Rafael Marquez continuing the good work.
21:28The lead right hand, the hook.
21:30Look at the combination.
21:31I missed a three-punch combination.
21:33Only the last one barely missed.
21:35It's such a misnomer to call him just a puncher
21:38because this is the kind of precision combination punching
21:40that's so effective.
21:42Almost the same combination.
21:44Second spot!
21:44And that, those kind of punches are what created those two cuts on Mabusa's face.
21:50Yeah, so a new element enters the equation.
21:52A cut under the left eye of Mabusa and around the right eye of Mabusa.
21:57He's getting stronger, he's getting weaker.
22:00As we enter round four.
22:03Nick Durant, the trainer and cut man for Silence Mabusa.
22:14Silence Mabusa told us, or he was quoted as saying,
22:17this is going to be the best fight ever in the Bantamweight division.
22:20A strong statement, but it's starting out to be a pretty good one.
22:24Mark, yes, that corner.
22:29As the cut opens up, we'll hear the position.
22:32Do you want that right now?
22:35Yeah, I'm not going to.
22:36I'm not going to.
22:37Folks, I think it's going to affect his vision right now.
22:39Let's see what they can do in the corner.
22:41Okay.
22:41Ready?
22:43It's the cut on the right side, Al, that is a poor concern
22:45because that could affect the vision.
22:47The other cut is under the eye, under the left eye.
22:51So it's the one on the corner of the eye that could do damage.
23:00The one on the right eye.
23:03Nick Durant told us that Mabusa is not a, quote,
23:07stand-in-the-booth fighter,
23:08which is a very eloquent way of saying he won't stand right in front of you.
23:12Unfortunately, for the most part, that's what he's doing against Marquez.
23:15Marquez continues to connect, but Mabusa's game.
23:23Mabusa in a heap of trouble.
23:25He went down in the first, a 10-8 round there,
23:28and now he's got double cuts.
23:30Look what happens, though, when Mabusa gives him a little movement
23:32and throws the jab in a straight right hand.
23:34He can land that punch.
23:35So a sense of urgency now for Mabusa,
23:41who has to hurry up the attack in light of the circumstances.
23:52Let's go to Jim Gray for a report on the cut.
23:55Just talked to Dr. Steven Brown.
23:57He says Mabusa has a cut above his right eye,
23:59not affecting him, a cut below his left eye,
24:01not affecting him, quickly looked at it.
24:03Fight will continue.
24:04He will look at it again at the end of the round, Steve.
24:08Mabusa just turned a lefty.
24:10Marquez says, if he does that, I'll knock him out.
24:13Let's see.
24:13I don't think this is a good move from Mabusa,
24:15because Marquez is great against the lefty,
24:17but let's see.
24:18I think it's a show of desperation now by the South African.
24:23Warren Button again stops it to check the cuts.
24:33That's pretty big, Norman.
24:34All right, that's it.
24:39And it is over.
24:41So here in round four, it's over.
24:43If a fight is stopped by an accident or a headbutt
24:46before the end of the fourth, it's a no decision.
24:48After the end of the fourth, they go to the cards.
24:50But if it's caused by a punch, the injured fighter can't continue.
24:54He loses by TKO.
24:57And this was presumably a punch.
25:03Rafael Marquez celebrating.
25:07And he was brilliant in this fight.
25:10It's a shame this happened, though,
25:11because Salenzo Mabusa was getting himself at least to the point
25:15where he was being mildly competitive in this fight.
25:18More than mildly in some fashion.
25:20And bad breaks.
25:21And he suffers his first defeat in 19 professional fights.
25:27So Rafael Marquez silences Mabusa.
25:30And it ends the result of the cuts.
25:35Marquez retains his IBF bantamweight title.
25:38Adds the IBO, his sixth successful defense of the IBF belt.
25:42And raises his record to 35-3.
25:4531 knockouts.
25:4714th consecutive win for Marquez dating back to 2,000.
25:51So a very impressive display by Rafael Marquez.
25:57Short and not so sweet for Silenzo Mabusa.
26:03They continue to do work on those cuts.
26:06The damage done by the punches, we assume.
26:10The future for Marquez as he looked to unify or move up in weight to 122.
26:17He said if he won tonight, which he has done,
26:19his objective was to defend one more time,
26:22then move up to 122 and see the title there.
26:25He's targeting WBA champ, Vladimir Sidorenko.
26:30So he continues to show that he is the premier fighter
26:34in the 118-pound division.
26:38It was a superb performance by Rafael Marquez.
26:43Interestingly, he said if he switches to lefty, I'll knock him out.
26:46Well, he didn't knock him out,
26:47but right when he switched to lefty
26:49is when this fight ended up getting stopped.
26:52More of a coincidence because it stopped the cut.
26:55Now, he's still in the right-handed stance here, Mabusa,
26:57and Marquez is being effective.
26:59But here's where he switches to lefty.
27:01And we mentioned that Marquez has been so good,
27:04he won the title against Tim Austin,
27:06former champ Mark Johnson twice.
27:08Look at how he rips those left hooks.
27:10And the bad thing about this posture is
27:12those left hooks could land for Marquez right on the injured eye.
27:16Now, Mabusa working, but look at the left hooks landing by Marquez.
27:20He's still landing that punch, and it's affecting the eye of Mabusa.
27:25And right after this is when we see how bad the cut is
27:28and how the blood is around the right eye of Mabusa.
27:32So, Rafael Marquez doing everything right in this fight.
27:35Whether it was Mabusa as a righty or a lefty,
27:38he knew exactly what to do.
27:40And while he's not traditionally a quick starter,
27:43this was a blazing start for Rafael Marquez.
27:46There's no question that Rafael Marquez was in complete command
27:49from the opening bell.
27:51He knocked him down with a beautiful left hook
27:54at the end of the first round.
27:55And yes, Rafael Marquez, old smile,
27:57silence Mabusa, hearing it from the crowd as well.
28:00Let's get it up to our ring announcer, Jimmy Leonard Jr.,
28:02for the official situation.
28:07Ladies and gentlemen,
28:09we have the time of 2 minutes, 8 seconds,
28:11and round number 4.
28:13Our referee in charge, Norm Budden,
28:15stops the contest upon advice of our ringside physician.
28:18He is the winner by way of technical knockout,
28:22and still the IBF batomweight champion of the world,
28:28Rafael Marquez.
28:35So all Rafael Marquez,
28:37the fans with the Mexican flag,
28:40able to celebrate now,
28:41and so Marquez with two belts,
28:43the IBF and the IBO.
28:46Continues to be the kingpin of the Bantamweight division.
28:52Let's revisit round 1 in this fight,
28:55in which Rafael Marquez did what
28:57I really thought he was going to be able to do,
28:59and that is land the left hook.
29:01He landed it very effectively,
29:03almost landed another right hand
29:05as Mabusa was going down.
29:07Had him so hurt in that first round
29:09that you wouldn't have think Mabusa,
29:10who has never been in this posture before,
29:13would have been able to get up
29:14and sustain in this fight.
29:15And yet, he showed very good heart and poise
29:18to be able to do that.
29:21Now, we may see a clash of heads,
29:24which may have caused this cut.
29:26Wow, they clash heads.
29:27Let's see if the blood comes out at that point.
29:30And I believe it does.
29:31So in reality,
29:33that cut may have come from this clash,
29:35and it probably did,
29:37which means that the situation
29:40may have more appropriately been different,
29:43not a TKO for Marquez.
29:45But take nothing away from Rafael Marquez
29:47because he was dominating this fight
29:49and controlling it almost exclusively.
29:52Yeah, it could have gone to a no decision.
29:54Yes, precisely.
29:55Instead, it's a TKO.
29:56So I would say that Rafael Marquez
29:59has fully recovered from the flu.
30:01Yeah.
30:02Let's get it up to Jim Gray.
30:03All right, Steve, thank you very much.
30:07Congratulations, Rafael.
30:08Jaime, you will translate.
30:09First, let's turn to Dr. Stephen Brown.
30:12Doctor, why did you stop the fight?
30:13You told me earlier in the round
30:15when you looked at the cut,
30:16you didn't think it was inhibiting him.
30:17When I first saw the cut,
30:18it was lateral to his eye.
30:20The blood was not affecting his vision.
30:22The second time when Norm Budden,
30:24the referee, brought him over
30:25and I looked at it,
30:26it had opened up all the way across
30:28the top of his eye,
30:29and his vision was affected.
30:31I saw him wiping his eye a few times.
30:33His blood was getting in his eye,
30:34and that's when it's time to call it quits.
30:36Close call, close call,
30:38or was this something
30:39that's definitive in your mind?
30:40No, not a close call.
30:42Okay, let me ask you, Norm.
30:43You ruled that this was caused by action
30:46and by punch.
30:49Replay indicates that it could be a headbutt.
30:51From where I stood, it was a punch.
30:53It started off as a small cut,
30:55and he opened it,
30:56he kept hitting it,
30:57and it opened it up clear across his eye.
30:59Let's take a look at the replay,
31:00if we can, referee Norm.
31:02And Norm, tell us exactly what it is you see.
31:05This looks like a headbutt right there.
31:06That looks like a headbutt, yes.
31:08From where I stood,
31:09it looked like a punch.
31:11There you are behind the action there.
31:13Yes, of course,
31:14you were in a tough position to see that,
31:16but I guess if you had to call it again,
31:18would you call it a headbutt now?
31:20Yes, I would.
31:21From where I stood,
31:22it looked like a punch,
31:23went straight up to the forehead
31:24and opened it.
31:25Norm, thank you.
31:26Thank you for your honesty.
31:26We appreciate it.
31:27Let's now bring in Rafael and Jaime.
31:31Rafael, did you feel as though
31:32it was a headbutt that caused the opening
31:35as we just saw there,
31:36or did he think he did it with a punch?
31:37Did you feel the punch that he opened
31:42was a headbutt that he was a headbutt?
31:44Or did you think it was a good punch?
31:46It was a good punch.
31:47It was a good punch.
31:50It was an open and a hook that he put in.
31:53There were heads,
31:55but there was nothing in that round.
31:57Okay, I mean,
31:58it was a punch.
31:59It was a hook and a left,
32:01I mean, a uppercut.
32:02And I mean,
32:03there was a headbutt in the fight,
32:05but not in this case that opened the cut,
32:07you know.
32:08How did he feel about knocking this guy down
32:10for the first time ever?
32:12How did you feel
32:12having knocked Mabusa for his first time in life?
32:15Well, he's a good punch.
32:17He's a strong punch.
32:18I felt his punch.
32:19And, well, thank God,
32:21it was the first punch that came forward.
32:25I mean, he's a very strong fighter.
32:27I mean, he hits hard.
32:30I mean, but, I mean,
32:30obviously my punch is the one
32:32that makes the difference here.
32:34Has he felt that he has been
32:35in the shadow of his brother,
32:36and now does he feel
32:37as though this will lift him out of that?
32:39Ah, you feel that at some time
32:41in your career
32:42you've been in the shadow of Juan.
32:44And do you think that in this fight
32:46you're going to get out of the shadows
32:48or you're going to get up?
32:49Well, we always train
32:51for any hard rival.
32:53And really,
32:54the condition
32:54and what is
32:55the strong training
32:56that leads us forward, right?
32:58I mean,
32:59no, no, not really.
33:00But, I mean,
33:01we work hard all the time
33:02for this fight,
33:02for any other fight.
33:03We work hard
33:04and we train together
33:05but for the best fights ever.
33:07Congratulations to you.
33:09Silence, let's bring you in.
33:10Let me ask you,
33:11did you feel as though
33:12the fight should be stopped?
33:14Not really, man.
33:15I mean, obviously,
33:15what you've seen there,
33:17there was a headbutt
33:18that went to one day.
33:18So, for me,
33:19I mean,
33:20I was still,
33:20I was building up.
33:21I came back very strongly
33:22but then,
33:23to my surprise,
33:24the fight was stopped.
33:26We saw on the replay
33:27it was a headbutt
33:28so you are correct in that.
33:30Tell us about
33:30when you got knocked down here
33:32for the first time
33:32in your career ever,
33:33even in amateurs
33:34or in your pro career.
33:36Yeah, look,
33:37such things happen.
33:37This is boxing.
33:38I got caught, obviously,
33:39that I can say.
33:40I cannot deny that.
33:41But then,
33:41if you can see,
33:41I came up very strong.
33:43I was fit for this fight.
33:44I was ready to fight
33:45and take the IPF back home.
33:47I stood up.
33:47I came up very strong.
33:49But then,
33:50to my surprise,
33:51this was a headbutt.
33:52And I have to stop the fight.
33:53Look at this one.
33:54This is in the first round.
33:56This is the knockdown.
33:58He caught you with that left.
33:59That was a very good left hook there
34:01which, obviously,
34:02I cannot deny it.
34:03Well, it caught me very well there.
34:05But then,
34:05as you can see,
34:06I was very fit for this fight.
34:07I stood up
34:08and I came back very strong.
34:09Now we'll take a look
34:10at that headbutt
34:11that you were talking about.
34:13It came later on
34:14in that round.
34:16And that, of course,
34:17doing the damage to your eye.
34:18Here it is.
34:19Silence.
34:20As you can see now there,
34:21boom,
34:22that's the headbutt.
34:23The obvious went straight on my face
34:24and the referee got in
34:27the interface
34:27then the fight had to be stopped.
34:29But what I can say is,
34:30you know what?
34:31I need to fight this guy.
34:33I need a rematch.
34:34For me,
34:34I feel this is unfair.
34:36I deserve to fight this boy.
34:37I was picking up.
34:38I was there.
34:39But then the ref stopped the fight.
34:41What can I say?
34:42Well, maybe there will be a rematch.
34:44It's got to be disappointing.
34:45It was postponed
34:45because of the flu.
34:46You had to go all the way
34:47back to South Africa.
34:48You come back now
34:49and to have this happen.
34:50So hopefully there will be
34:51a rematch for you.
34:51Thank you, Silence.
34:52Pleasure.
34:53Thanks.
34:53Look, I don't believe
34:54such things happened.
34:54I mean, the first fight,
34:55it was postponed.
34:56Now, it's a headbutt.
34:58Then the fight is stopped.
34:59What can I say?
35:01It's part of life, I guess.
35:02But definitely,
35:03I need this man.
35:04I want to fight him.
35:05I need a rematch.
35:06Hopefully we'll see that.
35:07Steve, let's go back down to you.
35:09All right, Jim.
35:10Thanks so much.
35:11Silence.
35:11Vavuz is a tough guy.
35:13He hung in there
35:15as best he could.
35:16Controversy here
35:17in our first fight, Al.
35:18Yeah, and as we look
35:19at the scores,
35:19one of the things
35:20we want to point out
35:20is the cut did exist
35:22before the headbutt
35:23so it had some bearing on it.
35:24But clearly,
35:25dominating was
35:26Rafael Marquez.
35:27Yeah, he was ahead
35:2830-26 on all three
35:30scorecards.
35:31Bird, Clements,
35:31and Nelson.
35:32Now we move over
35:34to the press row scoring
35:36and you'll see that
35:38Doug Fisher
35:38from MaxBoxing.com,
35:40Mike Hauser
35:40from The Ring Magazine,
35:42Bill Lupert,
35:42FightNews.com
35:43had it exactly the same way.
35:45So all six judges,
35:46the official judges
35:47and the press row scorers
35:48had it at 30-26.
35:50Marquez in dominating fashion
35:52before it was stopped
35:53in round number four.
35:56Before we continue
35:57our coverage
35:58from Lake Tahoe,
35:59let's take a look
35:59at what's coming up
36:00in the near future
36:00here on Showtime.
36:02Thank you
36:18for starting
36:18training,
36:18what's going
36:20in high school
36:21to see
36:22as the
36:22click
36:23to see
36:25the
36:26court
36:26to see
36:28you
Be the first to comment