ATLFightSports - Boxing Interviews

Abraham vs. Marquez...Revisited

We would like to thank Raul "El Diamante" Marquez for taking the time to speak to us about his fight with Arthur Abraham, for sharing his future plans, and for giving us his expert opinion on the De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao fight. We wish him the best in anything he does, and we thank him for giving 100% of himself to the sport of boxing and to his many fans.

ATLFightSports.com Interviews Raul"El Diamante"Marquez

By C.J.

15 November 2008

Abraham TKO's Marquez

Abraham vs Marquez photo by Sauerland Event

Undefeated IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham made a successful defense of his title by defeating a very game Raul “El Diamante” Marquez, in Bamberg, Germany.

Marquez had a good strategy:

Marquez’s strategy consisted of shooting straight lefts between Abraham’s guard, finishing his combinations with left hooks to the body, pressing forward, and keeping his guard up at all times.

So what went wrong?

Arthur Abraham proved to be much stronger than Marquez; he took the best “El Diamante” had to offer and kept coming forward, landing power shots and breaking down the ex-champion. By the end of the 5^th round Marquez face showed the signs of battle, as his face swelled, Marquez was forced to retreat and counter the incoming heavy artillery from Abraham. The sixth round seemed to be Marquez last stand. He started the round by backing the champion into the ropes, but soon after, Abraham responded with heavy blows that seemed to hurt Marquez, and opened a cut on his right eyebrow. Although Marquez weathered the storm and made it to the bell, one could sense that the end was near.

Discretion is the better part of valor…

During the one minute rest period Marquez’s corner decided their fighter had had enough and stopped the fight.

Result: Winner by TKO and still IBF Middleweight Champion…King Arthur Abraham.

Where do they go from here?

Arthur Abraham (28-0, 23 KOs) moves one step closer to a unification bout against American Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik or German title holder Felix Strum.

Raul Marquez (41-4, 29 KOs) announced his retirement after the fight, but after achieving what most of us can only dream about; being an Olympian, a World Champion, and a successful commentator, the sky is the limit for Raul “El Diamante” Marquez.

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By: C.J

8 November 2008

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Raul Marquez photo by Jose Reyes

We caught up with Raul “El Diamante” Marquez on the 23^rd of September as he was preparing to leave to Germany for his shot at the IBF Middleweight Championship. Here’s how the interview went down.

ATL: We are here with former IBF Middleweight Champion and 1992 Olympian, Raul “El Diamante” Marquez. First and foremost we would like to thank Mr. Marquez for taking time from his busy schedule to talk with us here at ATLFightSports. How are you doing today champ?

Marquez: I’m good. I’m doing good, I’m excited. I’m leaving tomorrow for Germany; I’m looking forward to this big opportunity.

ATL: Great, Great, we have a couple of questions for you before your title matchup that we would like to pass on to our readers and to your fans.

Marquez: Great, Go ahead.

ATL: We are 11 days away from your fight against Arthur Abraham. How has your preparation for this fight gone?

Marquez: Training for this fight has gone great. I’ve had great sparring against big, strong guys like Arthur Abraham. I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning work, sprints, intervals, and a lot of pad work. I couldn’t ask for a better camp, I’m very satisfied with it and very excited for this opportunity. I’m going to make the best of it.

ATL: Glad to here that. We know you live and trained in Houston, TX. Did hurricane Ike Affect your training in any way?

Marquez: Not at all, not at all, we train in a gym that has big garage doors and even though right now we don’t have electricity in the neighborhood where I live, not even in the gym, it hasn’t messed up my schedule at all. It’s like hurricane Ike never happened. We’ve been training every day. The only adjustment has been cooking without electricity, other than that, everything has been great.

ATL: Your fight will take place on October 4^th at the Jacko Arena in Bamberg, Germany. Germany has always been a very tough place to get a win, especially when you are fighting for a title. Do you have any concerns fighting Arthur Abraham in Germany?

Marquez: You know that has always been a point of worry, going to Germany you know, they say “You have to knock him out, just to get a draw.” I’m just glad that my promoter did a great job. I’m more than satisfied with the referee that we’re going to have Wayne Kelly from New York, Patricia Jarman from USA as a judge, a judge from Mexico, and the other judge is from London, England. I think it’s pretty fair and the other thing is, like I told my promoter “go ahead and get this fight some air time” and I’m glad it’s going to be shown on a small PPV for $24.95 that way it can be seen in America and all over the world. If there’s any controversy people of the media like yourself and the fans can also be the judges. You guys will be able to tell if I get ripped off or get a bad decision over there. You guys will be able to write or talk about it. Hopefully it won’t happen like that, with all the pressure we’ve put on the German commission, it won’t happen like that. I think I’ll get a fair shake if it goes to a decision.

ATL: We hope you get a fair shake and there’s a clear cut winner. What will be the determining factor that will enable you to defeat the current IBF Middleweight Champion? Will it be your experience, your south paw style, physical preparation, or do you have something special in mind?

Marquez: I think it’s going to be a mixture of what you just said and my south paw stance. Actually , Abraham has problems, I’ve seen him against two left handers, I’ve got him on tape, you know just like everybody he has problems against left handers. I think my heart, determination, experience, conditioning; I have more championship rounds than he does. I’ve been in there against way better fighters than he is, or in that he has in his resume. And another think, I’m hungry. This is a big opportunity for me; I’m not going to Germany to get a paycheck or to say I fought for a world title. I’m going over there to win the world title and on the way pick up the check. A win will give me the opportunity for bigger and better fights. I’ve been working on some things in the gym that you guys will see during the fight.

ATL: We wish you the best in your title opportunity, make the best of it. Lastly, is there anything you want to tell your fans?

Marquez: I want to tell all the fans that support me, for all the fans that support “El Diamante” through the years, the amateurs, professional years, not only as a boxer but as a broadcaster, thank you. Know that I don’t leave nothing in the ring, I fight to the end. Make sure you guys watch my fight. It’s not only going to be the upset of the year, it’s going to be the upset of the decade. Make sure you watch it; I’m going to go over there to win the championship.

Interview by: C.J. Senior Editor

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Warning: Video Contains Strong Language