Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz II: Preview and Keys to Victory

Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez

Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Resides: Anaheim, California
Age: 36
Height: 5'7"
Reach: 67"
Current World Titles Held: The Ring Magazine, WBA, WBO lightweight (135 lbs.)
Former World Titles Held: WBA, WBO, IBF Featherweight (126 lbs.), WBC Super Featherweight (130 lbs.)
Professional Record: 50-5-1, 37 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 9-4-1, 4 KOs
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 8-4-1

Notable Wins: TKO9 Juan Diaz , TKO11 Joel Casamayor , UD12 Marco Antonio Barrera
Notable Losses: UD12 Floyd Mayweather , SD12 Manny Pacquiao II , UD12 Chris John

Juan "Baby Bull" Diaz

Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Resides: Houston, Texas
Age: 26
Height: 5'6"
Reach: 67"
Current World Titles Held: None
Former World Titles Held: WBA, WBO, IBF Lightweight
Professional Record: 35-3, 17 KOs
Record in World Title Fights: 9-2, 4 KOs
Record in Fights Going 12 Rounds: 6-2

Notable Wins: UD12 Paulie Malignaggi I , TKO9 Julio Diaz, RTD8 Acelino Freitas
Notable Losses: UD12 Paulie Malignaggi II , TKO9 Juan Manuel Marquez , SD12 Nate Campbell

Analysis:

In a year that's been a bit short on thrilling boxing matches, Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz could be just the right combination to get fans on their feet and cheering—because they've done it before.

Diaz gave Marquez all he could handle for the first half of their initial meeting, but the three-division champ weathered the storm and dropped his younger foe twice to earn a ninth-round TKO victory. With tons of leather flying in both directions, the bout was at or near the top of many observers' Fight of the Year lists for 2009.

The questions about whether or not these two men can produce a worthy encore rest mostly with Diaz, who is only 26 but has taken plenty of abuse while going 2-3 over the last two years. Though his high volume combination punching often leads to fan-friendly affairs, the punches coming back the other way appear to be taking their toll.

Marquez has put in his share of hard rounds as well, most recently in a lopsided decision loss at the hands of Floyd Mayweather. But while he's a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame, he remains a top-10 pound-for-pound talent even as he turns the corner toward 40 thanks to his precision counter-punching and tremendous heart.

In a departure from most recent pay-per-view cards, this highly-anticipated rematch will cap off a solid night of boxing that features multiple fights that could have stood on their own on HBO or Showtime. It's an admitted experiment of sorts by Golden Boy Promotions to appeal to hardcore fans, and any perceived failure is likely to result in more lackluster undercards going forward.

Marquez's Winning Strategy: Don't Be Quite So Brave

With world championships in three different weight classes on his resume, no one can question JMM's skill level. Yet, he's also beloved among Mexican fans for his displays of courage, which often see him engaging in ferocious exchanges or picking himself off the canvas.

In his first fight with Diaz, that bravery manifested itself in Marquez's mix of head and body punching while backed against the ropes amidst plenty of incoming shots. He pulled it off masterfully, but he also absorbed punishment he didn't necessarily have to take.

Marquez needs to face some punches from his opponent to set up his counter shots, and Diaz should prove as willing as ever in this regard. Still, he'd be wise to take some notes from Paulie Malignaggi, who managed to successfully counter Diaz and get out of the way last December instead of staying put and continuing to trade.

Marquez can win without making any changes from the first fight, but in order to reduce his wear and tear and stay in the mix for another huge fight—like, say, his long desired third scrap with Pacquiao—a little extra dose of self-preservation wouldn't hurt.

His fans certainly won't think any less of him.

Diaz's Winning Strategy: Get to Marquez Early and Don't Let Up

Not every boxer can make huge changes to the way he prefers to fight, and Diaz is Exhibit A. He tries to overwhelm his foes with tons of punches, and when that doesn't work, he hasn't shown much of a capacity to switch things up on the fly.

Fortunately, even though the Baby Bull is a one-trick pony, it's a pretty effective trick. Even terrific boxers like Marquez take a few rounds to adjust to the onslaught that Diaz throws at them, and that was certainly the case in the first fight.

To pull off the upset, it's imperative for Diaz to do more with those first few rounds. Marquez has never been knocked out, but he's been knocked down on numerous occasions, and having a bigger lead could be what Diaz needs to make his opponent take more chances.

After that, Diaz will have to keep throwing for 12 rounds. His conditioning has been suspect at times in the past, but he won't be able to take the foot off the gas at all if he wants to reclaim the lightweight titles and give a jolt to his floundering career.

Nick Tylwalk is the editor and co-founder of BoxingWatchers.com . Follow his Twitter feed @Nick_Tylwalk or the site's feed @boxing_watchers .