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 Rocky's Road Ahead
By Steve Kim (February 6, 2003)
Photo © Tom Casino
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Last Saturday night Juan Manuel Marquez stamped himself as a primetime player in dominating Manuel Medina over seven rounds for the vacant IBF featherweight title at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. About 3000 miles way at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, Rocky Juarez was making his own statement -- that he may be the future of the division -- with his systematic dismantling of Jason Pires over nine rounds.
It was classic Juarez. After hurting Pires badly in the first and knocking him down in the second, Juarez would just continue to walk down and wear out Pires, who gamely survived until the ninth frame. It's clear that Juarez, who was once overlooked by fellow Main Event prospects Francisco Bojado and Jeff Lacy, is clearly their brightest young star in the making.
"I was very, very happy with my performance," said Juarez, back at his home in Houston, Texas. "I felt before that, even before the fight had happened, when Bobby Czyz was interviewing me, I was telling him that I felt that this fight was going to allow me to show my talent. I knew the fact Jason Pires was a guy who would fight and I felt that I had to look better against quality opposition and Pires wasn't a bad opponent."
There is nothing that really sticks out at you about Juarez. He doesn't have the pure punching power of a Lacy or the flashy handspeed of Bojado, but he is more well rounded than those two. He has the poise and calm of a 10-year veteran which allows him to slowly beat his adversaries into submission. It almost seem as though he forgoes the early knockouts to torture his foes.
"The way I look at it, I got 10 rounds to work with and it just turns out to be that way," explained Juarez, refuting the notion that he is a pugilistic masochist. "I just break'em down and the knockout comes in the later rounds because of the punishment they take but I mean, if a KO comes earlier, it's better for me, I would think. But it's not the fact I want to go the distance, I guess that's just my pace."
Shelly Finkel, who manages Juarez, thought it was vintage Rocky.
"I thought he fought a very, very controlled, spectacular fight on Saturday," he said. "He never lost composure when he hurt the man. We were joking around that from now on we're gonna give him three-and-a-half minute rounds because at the three minute mark a few times he had the guy and he couldn't finish him, he needed another 30 seconds. He's just a real professional at a very young age and only 15 fights."
While his pressure, pacing and body attack are top notch, you shouldn't overlook his subtle defensive skills. No, he'll never be a Willie Pep, but Juarez does an outstanding job at tucking in his chin and then picking off and deflecting on-coming punches with his gloves.
So while Bojado, who struggled a bit against Frankie Santos on the same card and Lacy, who's embroiled in a promotional dispute with Main Events, go through their own trials and tribulations, Juarez has stepped to the forefront, but it that wasn't always the case. While the above mentioned duo came quickly out of the gate, Juarez struggled to make an early impression and was soon relegated to Telefutura-status while his stablemates became Showtime staples.
"I believe that -- as I told the commentators in the beginning of my career -- that I'm one to shine late, like a diamond in the making," explained Juarez, who won a silver medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. "I always felt that people shouldn't have judged me by my first pro fight. I fought Pascali Adorno (a six-round decision), I didn't go out there as much as I wanted to and make a statement with a knockout, but I was happy I got the win and I feel that people are now seeing, as the quality of opponents are getting better, that I'm able to show more and show people I'm a solid fighter who can go the distance and even get stronger as the rounds progress."
This past Saturday was talked about as the return to the scene of the crime for Bojado -- who lost to Juan Carlos Rubio in shocking fashion at the Mohegan Sun last February -- but it was also the return of Juarez, who started to re-open more than a few eyes with his impressive fifth round destruction of Javier Ortiz last April. He was so good that he started getting hugs and kisses once again from Finkel and then Main Events COO, Gary Shaw, afterwards in the ring.
But Finkel swears he never lost faith in his fighter.
"No, I told him and I mentioned it the other day also," explained the veteran manager, who also has paper on Bojado and Lacy. "He's the tortoise, he was that way in the amateurs, also. I thought he won the gold medal and got robbed there but he was sixty-something wins in a row, that doesn't happen by accident.
"He's not flashy, he's strong, he's determined. I speak to him two, three times a week, he takes off for 10 days and he gets right back in. He's in great shape always, he brings the weight down himself -- it's not like he runs off somewhere in order to get ready for the big fight. He's a consumate professional even though it's at a young age but he had a lot of amateur experience to count on."
So what's next? Juarez has clearly broken past the barrier of being an untested prospect, now, he's in that stage of becoming a legitimate contender. Where does he go from here?
"I feel like it's up to them, my manager and Main Events, who they put me against," said Juarez of his bright prospects. "They're talking about some good quality opponents and I believe by my 18th fight, I would think that they were thinking names like Guty Espadas or Bones Adams. They way I'm looking at it, I'm just trying to learn, it's barely my 15th fight. I feel that I have in three fights, I can learn a lot from good competition -- just like a Jason Pires to fight a Bones Adams or a Guty Espadas -- I feel I need to learn a little more."
PANCHITO
Earlier in the night, Francisco Bojado would struggle to stop Frankie Santos in 10 competitive rounds. It's clear that 'Panchito' still has the physical tools, but there seems to be a lose of confidence and an adjustment to Floyd Mayweather Sr. and his teachings.
"There was mostly postive, a couple of negatives," said Finkel, in assessing his fightes performance. "I didn't like that he stood there and got hit unneccasarily. He's practicing new things that Floyd taught him, just as Oscar De La Hoya did the first couple of fights that Oscar had under Floyd. I was very happy that his condition carried through to the 10th round where he could throw that big punch so late in the fight with devastation. And he's in a learning phase now where he has all the ability, how he's got to put it together and understand what he's to do, how he's supposed to pick something apart."
A move down to 135 pounds wouldn't be the worst thing either for Bojado.
SMOKE FREE
We can all breathe a sigh of relief that Marco Antonio Barrera will be taking on Oscar Larios, and for several reasons: First, he isn't taking on Kevin Kelley. Second, Larios is an active guy who will bring out the real Barrera we've come to appreciate throughout the years. And finally, it means Derrick Gainer won't be getting the fight. Sorry, but I've said it before and I'll say it again -- the surgeon general has warned that 'Smoke' Gainer is hazardous to a pay-per-view events health.
The guy is a flat out stinker, who's had ample opportunity to make statements while fighting underneath Roy Jones on HBO and he's stunk out the joint just about each and everytime. And didn't he back out of a fight with Juan Manuel Marquez a few years ago? C'mon, we didn't need to inhale any more 'second hand Smoke', it's unhealthy for the business of boxing.
It is ironic that Lou DiBella, who is now promoting him and was pushing for a Gainer bout with Barrera, used to be aghast at the fact that he had Gainer shoved down his throat on a regular basis (by Roy Jones) while the boxing czar at HBO.
That's like being the surgeon general and then becoming the Marlboro Man.
LARKIN
Now, should I applaud Showtime boxing chief Jay Larkin for pulling the plug on Gabe Ruelas versus Acelino Freitas, or condemn him for taking that long or approving that match to begin with?
Regardless, now that Freitas and his promoter Art Pellulo have their free pass revoked for March 15th, they have to come up with a new opponent.
Here's a novel idea, how about waiting another month or two and rescheduling a return bout with Joel Casamayor?
And if that happens, pigs will fly.
For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com
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