TSS faithful, the Joel Casamayor v. Juan Manuel Marquez Ring Magazine Lightweight Championship bout is set to begin. Marquez has made his way to the ring. Wearing the red, white and green of his native Mexico, Marquez appears relaxed and ready. Casamayor entered the ring to a chorus of boos from the pro-Marquez crowd. Draped in the Cuban flag, Casamayor is on his toes and fully animated. The third man in the ring is referee Tony Weeks.

Juan Manuel Marquez is the Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion by TKO at 2:55 of the 11th.
Through 10, the score cards read 95-95; 95-95 & 97-93 for JMM.

Round 11: “Mexico, Mexico” echoes throughout. A Casa counter lands. JMM misses to the body but scores upstairs. JMM rips a hook. A right drops Casa during a flurry. The fighters exchange and down goes Casa a second time. The fight is waived off by referee Weeks. JMM is the new Ring Magazine Lightweight Champion. Time of the stoppage is 2:55 of the 11th.

Round 10: JMM rips a hook. Casa is the aggressor. Casa lands flush and then walks into a big right. The crowd erupts. The men exchange hooks. A JMM right stops Casa cold. 10-9 JMM

Round 9: Casa goes to the body. Casa lands flush to the face. JMM lands upstairs. Casa rips a hook. Blood trickles from Casa, who lands a lead left. JMM cracks Casa with a right. Casa counters with a left to close the round. It’s anyone’s fight. 10-9 Casa.

Round 8: Casa doing most of the leading at this juncture. A counter right for JMM. A left lands on the chin of JMM. Another left for Casa. A solid jab snaps back Casa’s head. Casa counters with a left that lands. A solid hook for Casa. A solid right for JMM. Another. Close round. 10-9 Casa.

Round 7: Casa coming forward is countered beautifully by JMM. A left hook for JMM. A low blow by Casa; Weeks warns him. A right lands cleanly for JMM. A 1-2 spins Casa’s head around. A JMM left to the body followed by a left upstairs. Casa lands a straight left. 10-9 JMM

Round 6: “Si se puede” chants the pro-Marquez crowd. Casa is warned for a low blow. An exchange in which nothing lands. Another. A lead right for JMM. JMM lands a right on the top of the head. With a few seconds left JMM lands the telling blow of the round. 10-9 JMM.

Round 5: Referee Weeks has had little action thus far. A solid right from JMM followed by a left hook to the hip. Both men set, feint, and reset looking for an openning. Casa is cut above the right eye. A solid right from JMM pushes Casa to the ropes. 10-9 JMM.

Round 4: A straight right lands for JMM. JMM lands a solid 1-2. Another JMM right forces Casa to retreat. Casa lands a powerful left flush to the face. Another left for Casa. Both men look to counter and both are doing it effectively. Every round is tight. 10-9 Casa.

Round 3: JMM digs to the body; Casa counters up top. JMM backs Casa up with a right. Casa shakes his head “no”. JMM throws a right which is countered by Casa. Casa snaps back the head of JMM with a left. Another toss up round. 10-9 JMM

Round 2: JMM circles left; Casa brings the fight. Casa flicks the jab and follows with a left. JMM is wide with a hook that misses. The “wave” makes it way around the Grand Garden Arena. A close round in which neither man took control. 10-9 Casa.

Round 1: A brief exchange favors JMM. A JMM left lands. “Marquez, Marquez” chants the crowd. Casa lands a left. Another JMM right lands. Casa circles left and lands a left. Casa lands a jab. 10-9 JMM.
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Fight fans, the WBC Super Welterweight Championship fight between Sergio Mora and Vernon Forrest is ready to commence. Stay tuned for highlights and the final result.

Forrest found his right in the second. The punch that beat Sugar Shane twice landed with authority.

There’s a stronger, sharper Forrest in the ring tonight; at least through four.

We’re at the mid point of the fight and it’s all Forrest.

A check hook sent Mora into the ropes at the bell. Referee Drakulich correctly ruled it a knock down in the 7th.

Mora gave his fans something to cheer about in the 9th when he landed solidly.

A rousing 11th awakened the MGM crowd. We await the bell for the 12th and final round.

Sergio Mora just learned it is harder to defend a title than to win one. Vernon Forrest is once again the WBC Super Welterweight Champion.

Final score card tabulation: 118-109; 117-110; 119-108.
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TSS Nation, the “Vicious” Victor Ortiz v. Roberto Arrieta Jr. welterweight fight is underway. We’ll keep you informed and recap the action when the scrap concludes.

Ortiz scored a knockdown in the second off a straight left.

A left-right staggered Arrieta, sending him to the mat in the fourth. Later in the round Ortiz openned a cut above Arrieta’s right eye with a left hook.

Ortiz dropped Arrieta for the third and final time of the fight in the 5th. Ortiz wins by TKO at 2:25 of round 5.
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The Challenge: Juan Manuel Marquez v. Joel Casamayor

If you’re the betting sort you know that Juan Manuel Marquez is slightly favored to defeat Joel Casamayor on September 13th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. If you’re wondering why the pundits favor Marquez over Casamayor you might consider their obvious differences.

Stance: Marquez is an orthodox fighter who has faced three southpaws, including Manny Pacquiao, in his last five fights. Casamayor is a southpaw who has fought a slew of orthodox fighters throughout his career. No advantage.

Size and reach: Marquez is listed at 5’7” with a 170” reach. Casamayor is also 5’7” but has a 175” reach. Marquez is a lifelong featherweight who moved up to super featherweight in March of last year. This will be his first contest at lightweight. Casamayor has been campaigning at lightweight for four years and has faced eight fighters in the division. He is 6-1-1 as a lightweight. Advantage Casamayor.

Hand speed: Marquez has respectable hand speed but was noticeably slower than Pacquiao during exchanges. Casamayor has excellent hand speed and will beat Marquez to the punch. Advantage Casamayor.

Still asking why Marquez is the slight favorite? Perhaps the answer is in their similarities.

Age: Marquez just celebrated a birthday and is now 35 years of age. Casamayor turned 37 on July 12th. Ever so slight advantage to Marquez.

Experience: Marquez has 53 professional and 36 amateur fights under his belt. He has faced and defeated Agapito Sanchez and Marco Antonio Barrera on route to winning titles at featherweight and super featherweight. Casamayor has 40 professional bouts and nearly 400 amateur fights to his credit. He has defeated Nate Campbell, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. Casamayor has an Olympic gold medal in addition to belts at super featherweight and lightweight. Advantage Casamayor.

Disputed Losses: Marquez claims robbery in losses to Freddie Norwood, Chris John and Manny Pacquiao. Many boxing experts agree with his claims. His only other loss was due to disqualification in his professional debut. Casamayor has three official losses on his record, two by split decision. Most pundits agree with Casamayor’s assertion he defeated Acelino Freitas in his only UD loss. No advantage.

Power: Marquez has 35 KOs in 53 fights for a 66% KO ratio. Most of his knock outs came prior to 2004 as eight of his last ten fights have gone the distance. Casamayor has 22 KOs in 40 fights for a 55% KO ratio. Casamayor scored stoppages in four of his last ten fights, including wins over Diego Corrales, Lamont Pearson and Michael Katsidis. Advantage Casamayor.

Chin: Marquez was dropped four times over two fights by Pacquiao, a hard punching southpaw who continues to move up in weight. Marquez was also flattened by a Marco Antonio Barrera punch that was missed by referee Jay Nady. Otherwise, Marquez has always demonstrated a solid beard. Casamayor had to get off the canvas in each of his last two contests before rallying for victories. Jose Armando Santa Cruz dropped Casamayor in the first round of their November 2007 contest and Aussie Michael Katsidis nailed Casamayor in round six of their March 2008 bout. It’s important to note that neither man has ever been stopped. No advantage.

Are you still wondering why Marquez is favored or have you found the answer? Do you agree with the betting line or does Casamayor have the advantage heading into the fight? Will styles make this fight or will fouls influence the outcome? Join us here on fight night, Saturday, September 13 at 10:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm PT for round by round coverage of The Ring Lightweight Championship bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Joel Casamayor.