Boxing

The Rivalry Without Swords | SCRIPT FIGHTING

Shaolin and Wu Tang trailer

Thank God no swords were involved in the Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez rivalry.

If the sharp thrusts of the Wu-Tang sword style and the bloody slashes of the Shaolin broadsword were used in the punishing series of boxing showdowns called Vazquez-Marquez, there would've been no trilogy.

If blades were used instead of fists, someone would've been killed within the first minute or two. Even if it were a kung fu movie, someone would've died after a spectacular back-and-forth duel.

As seen in the Vazquez-Marquez trilogy, the updated, modern Mexican version of Shaolin shadowboxing is dangerous as it is.

(Analysis and Vazquez-Marquez IV prediction after the jump)

1. The broken nose Rafael Marquez gave Israel Vazquez in the first round of their first fight demonstrated the potentially devastating results of pressure point strikes : Vazquez was forced to quit on his stool after the seventh round due to breathing difficulties from the broken nose.

In addition, Marquez cut Vazquez badly in their second and third fights.

2. Vazquez applied his own empty-handed techniques to great effect in their rematch, knocking down Marquez twice.

After the second knockdown, which came in Round 6, Vazquez backed Marquez to the ropes, and threw an unending flurry of strikes. This relentless beating of Marquez administered by Vazquez forced the referee to put a temporary halt to the madness that is the rivalry between the two Mexican legends.

3. The extended duel of fists between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez culminated in their rubber match, which ended up in a hard-fought split decision by Vazquez. In the first half of the fight, Vazquez was floundered by the jabs and combinations of Marquez, and was even knocked down in the fourth round.

However, he turned it up in the second half to set up the epic Round 12 : Vazquez unleashed his fistic fury on Marquez, much like he did in the sixth round of their rematch.

Vazquez landed huge rights, some lefts - and basically the whole kitchen sink - at Marquez. He knocked down Marquez with a short left hook, and only that erased some doubt of Vazquez's victory.

Surely enough, just one point decided the winner of the bout, and the 12th round knockdown proved to be decisive.

Two years ago, I thought the Vazquez-Marquez rivalry came to a close with their rubber match. However, I was wrong, as there will be the fourth - and I hope, final - showdown on Saturday (9 PM ET, Showtime).

If you ask who I think will win, I'll have to say Vazquez.

As thrilling as the trilogy was, I felt that Vazquez has always been the bigger, more powerful fighter. Although he could not continue to fight in the first fight due to a broken nose, Vazquez has been able to eat Marquez's punches, get in the inside, and hurt Marquez.

Marquez has been the better technician with the crispier jab and combinations, but for the most part, he hasn't been able to stop the mad charges of Vazquez.

When I see a fight like Vazquez-Priolo, Vazquez's most recent, I see that Vazquez's ability to give and take punishment is still there, even after all those wars.

Factoring in the damage the smaller Rafael Marquez has been taking from the bigger, stronger Israel Vazquez, I predict a TKO win for Vazquez in the 10th.