Pacquiao vs. Marquez: 10 Toughest Fights of Juan Manuel Marquez's Career

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Juan Manuel Marquez's toughest fights include the previous two bouts against Manny Pacquiao.  Marquez, though, has been involved in other memorable fights during his prolific career.

Marquez's 53-5-1 record speaks for itself.  His lone draw and one of his losses were both at the hands of Manny Pacquiao.

What better way is there to set the stage for Pacquiao vs. Marquez III, than to relive those great moments in recent boxing history?

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Freddie Norwood, 1999

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Juan Manuel Marquez took on Freddie Norwood for the WBA Featherweight Title.  The fight went twelve rounds and resulted in Marquez's first loss since his first professional fight.

After the fight, his record still boasted a respectable 29-2 professional record.

Norwood's round two knockdown of Marquez and early ring control were enough to secure a unanimous decision.  This ruling was controversial due to Marquez landing and throwing more punches than Norwood.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manuel Medina, 2003

Juan Manuel Marquez finally had another title shot following the 1999 loss to Freddie Norwood.  In 2003, 10 consecutive wins later, Marquez squared off against Manuel Medina for the IBF Featherweight Title.

Marquez ended Medina's hopes at capturing the title with a knockdown in Round 7 when the officiator ended the fight.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao I, 2004

Juan Manual Marquez took on Manny Pacquiao for the first time in 2004.  Their clash was an epic struggle of momentum swings and a pure all-out battle.

Pacquiao began things favorably, knocking Marquez down three times in the opening round.  He also pummeled Marquez and broke his nose in the first round.

Marquez recovered from the initial stomping, and was in position to likely win by decision until a late round flurry from Pacquiao forced the judges' hand.  The fight ended in a draw after 12 intense rounds of boxing.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Chris John, 2006

Following the loss of his titles due to failures in compliance, Juan Manuel Marquez traveled to Indonesia to fight Chris John in an attempt of capturing the WBA Featherweight Title.

John, who was undefeated and taller than Marquez, controlled the ring for most of the bout.  His length created a sufficient distance between the two that Marquez simply could not solve.

John defeated Marquez unanimously and handily, partly due to a significant amount of penalty points deducted from Marquez.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, 2007

Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera were two of the best in the business heading into their 2007 WBC Super Featherweight Title bout.  The fight was a chance for Marquez to emerge from the shadow of Barrera as the most complete Mexican fighter in contention.

As expected, the two did not disappoint.

They provided 12 rounds of excellent entertainment and great boxing.

Marquez won by unanimous decision and captured his third world title in two divisions.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao II, 2008

The highly anticipated rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao was supposed to determine the best featherweight boxer on the planet.

Although Pacquiao won the bout by decision, both fighters looked to be worthy of that title.

The two elite featherweights fought tirelessly for 12 rounds of high excitement boxing.

Next is November 12, 2011.  The stage is set for the conclusion one of the best boxing trilogies of our time.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Joel Casamayor, 2008

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Juan Manuel Marquez moved up to the lightweight division to take on Joel Casamayor for The Ring Lightweight Title.  

Marquez started out slow and took a beating from Casamayor throughout the first four rounds.  Marquez, though, fought back and eventually took control of the fight.

He caught Casamayor with a knockdown in Round 11 and followed with a flurry of punches for a second straight knockdown.  Marquez scored a TKO after the official determined Casamayor could no longer continue.

As a result of the fight, The Ring magazine declared Marquez the second best pound-for-pound fighter.  No. 1 was Manny Pacquiao.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz I, 2009

Juan Manuel Marquez defended his lightweight title against Juan Diaz for the first time in 2009.  

Diaz pushed Marquez and controlled the fight through the first five rounds.  In the fifth round, Diaz gouged open a cut over Marquez's right eye.  The odds were definitely in Diaz's corner heading into Round 6.

Marquez regrouped in the eighth round and knocked down Diaz consecutively in the ninth.

He earned three more lightweight titles (WBO, WBA, IBF) as he defeated Diaz by TKO in that ninth round.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., 2009

Juan Manuel Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr. need no introductions.  This fight was set as a non-title bout in which Marquez would move up to the Welterweight Division in order to take on Mayweather.

Mayweather could not get down to the agreed 144 pound fighting weight, but the fight took place nonetheless.

Marquez struggled and looked uncomfortable fighting at this heightened weight class.  He was knocked down in Round 2 and contained throughout the fight, leading to a unanimous Mayweather victory after a 12-round slug-fest.

Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Michael Katsidis, 2010

Juan Manuel Marquez squared off against mandatory challenger Michael Katsidis following his victory against Juan Diaz in their rematch.

Despite struggling early, as usual, Marquez rebounded to come back to TKO Katsidis in the ninth round.

Marquez retained his lightweight titles with this victory.