Is Vazquez-Marquez Worth No. 4? History Offers Bruising Cautionary Tales

Earlier this month, the five-year anniversary of what many call the greatest fight they have ever seen passed with barely a mention.

On May 5, 2005, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo clashed for 10 of the most exciting rounds you will ever see in the sport, ending with a climactic come-from-behind knockout by Corrales.

So damaging was the bout, that neither fighter was ever the same after the fight. Corrales never won a fight again and died in a motorcycle accident on May 5, 2007, two years to the date from the epic fight.

After the devastating loss, Castillo was clearly just a shell of the great fighter he had been. Most recently, Castillo has been relegated to undercard bouts with opposition he would have used as tune-ups five years ago.

His fight with Alfonso Gomez on the Pacquiao-Clottey undercard was widely criticized, drawing complaints from pay-per-view customers about having to watch Castillo on an event they paid 50 dollars for—quite a change from being one of the most exciting fighters the sport could claim.

This Saturday, Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez will meet for an astounding fourth time in the ring.

After splitting the first two fights, Vazquez pulled out a close split-decision in the third. All three fights were filled with as much back-and-forth barbarity and ferocity as you will ever see in a boxing match.

Such was the brutality, that some will have a hard time seeing a fourth meeting. After both fighters have given so much of themselves in the first three bouts, do we really want to watch them inflict more damage on each other?

Most wouldn’t hesitate to say “of course we do,” but there are some who are more conflicted.

While both fighters will certainly make more money for this fight than any other option, they are also both destroying each other’s careers.

Over the last few years, it is likely that the two have been sinking together, and will be too worn to face any other top competition. Possibly that factored into the designs on a fourth fight.

Maybe, if either were to face a Gamboa or Darchinyan, we would see that they have faded from the top of the sport. But as long as they drop together and only fight each other, it will be impossible to know.

Nonetheless, the fight will likely be a barn-burner and a success for Showtime and the promoters. After all, this is boxing, and brutality is part of the game.

Look back to fighters of old who used to face each other multiple times in short spans of time, and they were commended by the fans.

Between 1942 and 1945, Jake Lamotta faced Ray Robinson five times. They would even have a sixth match a few years later. Between 1949 and 1951, Ezzard Charles and Joe Walcott fought four times. These fights are celebrated and deemed classics.

Even now, Lamotta has as much wit as anyone in their late 80s, so it’s not assumed that these kinds of wars will cripple the fighters in any way.

However, there are the statements made by former Vazquez trainer Freddie Roach, that Vazquez has been damaged after so many battles and that his speech is even impaired. That was just after the first fight with Marquez, when Roach refused to be part of Vazquez continuing his career. Vazquez went on to win his next two fights against Marquez.

The bottom line is that all four of these fighters mentioned are warriors who would prefer to go out on their shield, rather than retire to the sidelines.

The question is: when is it enough?

Take a look at a fighter like Corrales, who was lost in much the same way that he lived, or Castillo, who is now annoying the paying customer while he tries to make a living.

Or Vazquez and Marquez, who will likely not be able to compete with any name fighters other than each other after these four grueling fights.

One has to ask, “Is it worth it?”