JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ

updated June 02, 2009

One of boxing's best, pound for pound, Juan Manuel Marquez has thrilled fight fans for over 15 years with his pinpoint accuracy and fight-ending power. Best remembered for his knockouts of Juan Diaz and Joel Casamayor, dominant decision win over Marco Antonio Barrera in 2007, and his thrilling two fight series with Manny Pacquiao, this former WBA, IBF, and WBO featherweight champion, former WBC super featherweight champion, and current Ring, WBA, and WBO lightweight champion has plenty left in the tank as he chases after more big fights in the coming years.

Born in Mexico City, Marquez is one of eight children whose father was an ex-pro boxer with 35 fights to his credit. Entering the gym for the first time at the age of eight, Juan and his brother, current bantamweight world champion Rafael, quickly took to the sweet science and he began fighting in amateur tournaments at 13.

After a 35-1 amateur career that included a pair of Golden Gloves tournament wins, Marquez entered the pro ranks at the age of 19 on May 29, 1993 and lost his first bout via disqualification to Javier Duran.

Marquez wouldn't lose again for another six years as he tore through the fight scenes in Mexico and California, compiling a record of 29-1 that included a win over Agapito Sanchez and an NABO title, which he defended seven times.

This success earned him a shot at the WBA featherweight title on September 11, 1999, in which Marquez lost a controversial decision to then-unbeaten champion Freddie Norwood.

Determined to get back in the title picture, Marquez was back in the ring two months later, stopping Remigio Molina in eight rounds. Nine more wins would follow, and two fights after he stopped Robbie Peden in ten rounds for the NABF and USBA titles, "Dinamita" got his second world title shot, this time against veteran Manuel Medina for the vacant IBF crown on February 1, 2003.

This time, Marquez would not be denied, and he halted Medina in seven rounds to win his first world title.

Two fights later, Marquez added the WBA strap when he won a seven round technical decision over Derrick Gainer, and on May 8, 2004, he faced Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao in his first super fight.

Things didn't look good for Marquez early, as he was knocked down three times in the opening round by the explosive Pacquiao. But from the second round on, the fight was all Marquez, as he put on a stirring boxing clinic. Unfortunately, his early points deficit cost him the bout and he was forced to accept a draw. But among boxing fans, his stock rose ten fold.

After successful title defenses over Orlando Salido and Victor Polo, Marquez traveled to Indonesia to take on hometown hero Chris John on March 4, 2006 and lost his title via a highly disputed 12-round decision that many thought "Dinamita" had won.

Disappointed, but not discouraged, Marquez returned to the ring on August 5 and earned the interim WBO featherweight championship with a seventh round stoppage of Thailand's Terdsak Jandaeng. On October 21, he defended that title for the first time with an exciting ninth round knockout over the Philippines' Jimrex Jaca.

But there was one more mountain left to climb for Marquez, and on March 17, 2007, he finally got a shot to face his fellow countryman Marco Antonio Barrera for Barrera's WBC super featherweight title. And though the fight was competitive and exciting throughout, when it was over, there was no doubt that Marquez was the victor, as he walked away with the unanimous decision win, the belt, and finally, the mantle of superstardom he had been chasing for years.

On November 3, 2007, Marquez defended his 130-pound title for the first time with a dominating 12 round unanimous decision over former US Olympic Silver medalist Rocky Juarez.

This victory set up the rematch the world had been waiting for—the March 15, 2008 clash between Marquez and old nemesis Manny Pacquiao. Again, the two boxing superstars battled it out in a match that displayed the best the sweet science had to offer. But again, Marquez was left with a disappointing result as the judges awarded the bout to Pacquiao via a highly controversial split decision, a verdict many felt belonged to Marquez.

But Marquez is not one to dwell on past injustices. Instead, he moved forward, and on September 13, 2008, he won a world title in a third weight class when he became the first man to stop Cuban great Joel Casamayor in their battle for The Ring lightweight championship.

On February 28, 2009, Marquez defended that title for the first time in a highly-anticipated showdown against Juan Diaz, and in another spectacular performance, "Dinamita" stopped Diaz in the ninth round of one of 2009's best fights, adding the WBO and WBA 135-pound titles to his Résumé in the process.

But on July 18, Marquez will face his greatest challenge yet when he jumps to the welterweight division to take on the recently unretired superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a historic superfight to for this era's pound for pound supremacy.