Greatest Hits: Raul Marquez
Above: Marquez won a shutout decision over former titleholder Jorge Vaca in November 1994. (Photo by Holly Stein /Allsport via Getty Images)
Raul Marquez was born in the city of Valle Hermoso, Mexico, just across the border from the southernmost tip of Texas, on August 28, 1971.
“My dad was trying to make ends meet; he was going to Chicago as an illegal alien as a machinist,” Marquez told The Ring. “He was going back and forth to make some money to marry my mom. I was born and we moved to Chicago when I was 2 years old. My brother was born and that helped us get our Green Card. We moved to Houston when I was 4 years old because Chicago was too cold.”
Once in Houston, the Marquez family quickly adapted to their new lives and young Raul found a hobby that would eventually become his career.
“I started boxing at 7 in my dad’s garage. Northside was a pretty bad neighborhood,” he explained. “He filled up an army bag with sawdust and that was my heavy bag. He taught me what he knew and we joined a boxing gym called PABA (Progressive Amateur Boxing Association), and that’s where I had my first amateur fight, at the Salvation Army Boxing Club in Downtown Houston in 1980.”
Marquez developed into a highly productive amateur.
“I tried out for the 1988 Western Olympic trials, but I was too young and I lost,” he said. “I stuck around another four years. I won my first open tournament in 1989 and I was on the U.S. national team. I was traveling the whole world. I fought a lot of international fights. I was a decorated amateur.”
Lou Duva advises Marquez during the Los Angeles Olympic Sports Festival in 1991. (Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Marquez bested Robert Allen, Antwun Echols and Lonnie Bradley at the U.S. qualifiers to earn a berth on the U.S. team as a junior middleweight for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
“I remember the open ceremony, marching with the U.S. team and being there with the Dream Team, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, all those guys,” he recalled. “So many countries, so many sports, being in the Olympic Village.”
Marquez edged past Nigeria’s David Defiagbon 8-7 in the first round and dominated Seychellois Rival Cadeau 20-3 in the second round before coming unstuck at the quarterfinal stage.
(Photo: The Ring Magazine)
“I lost to Orhan Delibas (from the Netherlands). I literally lost the fight in the second half of the third round. I lost 16-12,” he said. “I thought I pulled it out. Orhan Delibas went all the way to the final and got a silver medal and lost to Juan Lemos from Cuba. Two or three months before the Olympics, I beat Juan Lemos at the World Challenge.”
It was time for Marquez, who compiled a 160-12 amateur record, to make the transition from amateur to professional in October 1992.
“[I turned pro] on the undercard of Jesse James Leija (vs. Troy Dorsey) in San Antonio. I had a lot of people come and support me,” he said. “I think it was on NBC, and they showed some clippings of my fight. It was a hard pro debut; it went four rounds. (Marquez won by fourth-round TKO.) I kept knocking the guy down and he kept getting back up.”
Marquez signed with Main Events out of the Olympics before eventually joining Top Rank’s promotional stable. While under the Main Events banner, he gained valuable experience working under the tutelage of Lou Duva and spent a lot of time with top professionals like Evander Holyfield and Pernell Whitaker.
The aggressive southpaw moved quickly, fighting four times in the first two months of his professional career and seven times in his first full year in the paid ranks, all the while building toward the 10-round class. He gained experience against savvy veterans like Tommy Small (UD 8) and faded former welterweight titleholder Jorge Vaca (UD 10), the latter on the undercard of George Foreman’s stunning upset of Michael Moorer in the fall of 1994.
More seasoning followed against the likes of Alain Bonnamie (UD 10) and Floyd Williams (UD 10) before Marquez was rewarded with his first 12-rounder, which he won against Skipper Kelp (UD 12) to get one step away from fighting for the world title. After a win over Rafael Williams (RTD 5), Marquez got his chance. His coronation came when he stopped veteran Anthony Stephens in nine rounds to capture the vacant IBF 154-pound belt in April 1997.
Rapid title defenses followed against once-beaten Romallis Ellis (TKO 4) and the tough Keith Mullings (SD 12). However, his championship tenure came to a halt after just eight months at the thudding hands of Yori Boy Campas (TKO 8) in December 1997.
Marquez now admits that he rushed into his matchup with Yori Boy Campas. (Photo by Jon Levey/AFP via Getty Images)
After taking an extended break to fully heal, Marquez returned to action with a pair of wins that helped earn him a fight with rising force Fernando Vargas, who had since unseated Campas to become the IBF titleholder.
Battle lines were drawn in Stateline, Nevada, where the two factions collided. Ultimately, Vargas proved to be too much and stopped the valiant challenger in 11 rounds.
Marquez took 19 months off before resurfacing at super middleweight. Inching toward middleweight, he won a few fights before an opportunity came to face Shane Mosley back at 154 pounds. A clash of heads left Marquez cut over the right eye in the third round. It got worse from a second collision, and ringside physician William Berliner and referee Kenny Bayless decided they’d seen enough, with Marquez cut to the bone and freely bleeding. The fight ended in a no-contest.
After that unsatisfactory conclusion, “El Diamante” recovered from the cut and beat former world title challenger Humberto Aranda (KO 4) in front of his home fans in Houston.
That led to a fight with touted 2000 Olympian Jermain Taylor. Despite a solid effort from Marquez, Taylor roughed him up behind an effective jab and the bout was halted after nine rounds.
“Boxing is such a brutal sport, but at the same time it’s a beautiful sport. It’s done a lot for me.”
That looked to be the end, but after a near-two-year hiatus, Marquez decided to give it one last go, reeled off five consecutive wins and then did enough in what was eventually ruled a draw against Bronco McKart, thus setting up an IBF middleweight title-eliminator against the unbeaten Giovanni Lorenzo. It proved to be the final victory for Marquez, who was able to edge Lorenzo via razor-thin 12-round unanimous decision.
Marquez then headed to Germany and gave his all in defeat against IBF titlist Arthur Abraham. With nothing left to prove, Marquez retired with a record of 41-4-1 (29 knockouts).
“I got with Showtime (as a commentator) a little after I retired and was with them for 12 years until they fell,” he said. “I did ShoBox and then I did all the big shows in Spanish and sometimes in English. I had a future after boxing.”
He currently works with promoter Dmitry Salita as part of the Big Time Boxing USA series on DAZN and hopes to pick up more gigs.
“I love broadcasting and I’m good at what I do,” he said. “I have a lot of years left in broadcasting and I want to continue to do that.”
Marquez’s eldest sons Raul Jr. and Arturo boxed professionally but are no longer involved in the sport. His son Giovanni, however, is an unbeaten (9-0, 5 KOs) aspiring junior welterweight.
Marquez, now 52 years old, still lives in Houston and has five children. He owns a gym and a couple of properties that he rents out.
“I’m living my best life and I credit it to boxing, because boxing has done so good for me. I took care of my money,” he said. “I’m blessed to have a beautiful family. Boxing is such a brutal sport, but at the same time it’s a beautiful sport. It’s done a lot for me. It’s taken me different places, and that’s my life.”
Marquez enjoyed looking back on his career, reminiscing on six career-defining performances for the readers of The Ring.
SKIPPER KELP
March 5, 1996, Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia • Titles: Vacant IBF USBA junior middleweight
“I [originally] had a different opponent, but Skipper Kelp came in as a last-minute opponent the week of the fight. I remember I was in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the Lou Duva camp, with [Pernell] Whitaker, [Evander] Holyfield, etc. I remember we would stay at this place called the Atrium; it was apartments and all the fighters stayed there. And Lou Duva came to my room and told me my opponent has changed, and said, ‘But I don’t know if you’re going to be comfortable with this.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ And he said, ‘You know this guy.’ I said, ‘Who is it?’ He goes, ‘Skipper Kelp.’ We were on the national team together in Colorado Springs. He would cut my hair. I said, ‘Well, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.’ Skipper was a pretty decent fighter, good amateur, had a good left hook. He had good power. I said, ‘We have to do it. We have no choice.’
“Back then, it was USA Tuesday Night Fights. The fight was at The Scope in Norfolk, and I think Pernell did an exhibition with the major. Winky Wright-Andrew Council were the co-main event.
“On Tuesday Night Fights, you know how they used to do staredowns; we couldn’t look at each other because we started smiling. They did show that before the fight. We were buddies, but I had to kick his ass.
“We went 12 rounds. It was a successful win for me. That fight got me the USBA title, and it’s connected with the IBF title. Of course, I wanted to win and won a unanimous decision.
“I was at the restaurant after the fight in Norfolk [with Pernell]. I did a lot of sparring with Pernell Whitaker. Of course I respected him. It was an honor for me to spar him. He gave me advice: ‘Now you’ve won the USBA title, you’re getting close to a world title, you’ve got to do this.’ He gave me words of advice, wisdom.”
Result: Marquez UD 12
ANTHONY STEPHENS
April 12, 1997, Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada • Titles: Vacant IBF junior middleweight
“After the Skipper Kelp fight, we weren’t with Main Events. There were problems with the contract. We weren’t happy with Main Events, and we ended up signing with Top Rank. I had two fights with Top Rank and then fought for the world title.
“It was an exciting moment for me, fighting for the vacant title. Terry Norris vacated it, and the reason he vacated it was because they were saving Terry Norris for Oscar De La Hoya.
“I was fighting on ABC Wide World of Sports – free TV. That was at the Tropicana Hotel in Vegas. I had a great camp in Vegas with my father as trainer. I won the world title. It was a competitive fight, but I knocked out Anthony Stephens in the ninth round.
“Our fight was during the day, like 2:30, 3 p.m. That night, I ended up going to the Pernell Whitaker-Oscar De La Hoya fight at the Thomas & Mack Center. I remember I had my IBF belt; I was showing it around. I got ringside tickets. I was world champion and was getting interviewed.”
Result: Marquez TKO 9
YORI BOY CAMPAS
December 6, 1997, Caesars Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey • Titles: IBF junior middleweight
“[My first defense against] Romallis Ellis was another fight on ABC Wide World of Sports and was in one of the casinos in Louisiana. Vince Phillips lost to Romallis Ellis, so Vince Phillips got a shot at [IBF junior welterweight titleholder] Kostya Tszyu – and he shocks the world. He knocks out Kostya Tszyu. Romallis Ellis, who beats Vince Phillips, gets a shot at Raul Marquez, and I knocked out Romallis Ellis in four rounds. I knew he was a good fighter, good amateur background, 1988 Olympic bronze medalist.
“When I fought Keith Mullings, I was supposed to fight Campas, but Campas got hurt in camp. They put Keith Mullings in. I knew he was tough. I knew he had been in the Army. In the amateurs, he was a tough, rugged guy. I knew it was going to be a tough fight, but we had no choice. That was on the De La Hoya-[Hector] Camacho card; I was the co-main event. It was a brutal fight. I got cut really bad; I had over 70 stitches, but I defended my title. I pulled it out. I won a split decision.
“That was in September. Not even three months later, I’m fighting a knockout artist, the guy that was gonna be the next [Julio Cesar] Chavez, which was Yory Boy Campas. Which was a bad decision, bad management. I should never have taken that fight.
“I remember being in camp – September, October, November, because the fight was the beginning of December – after getting 70-something stitches. My face would get swollen up. My dad said, ‘I don’t think we should take this fight, son.’ But me being young, macho, I’ve got to prove something, beat this guy, because I wanted the De La Hoya fight, the cash cow, the money guy.
“When I fought Yory Boy Campas, I was still confident I was gonna beat him. I would have beat him, but my face didn’t hold up. De La Hoya was the main event against Wilfredo Rivera; Terry Norris gets knocked out by Keith Mullings, the guy I beat two-and-a-half months before. That tells you how good I could have been or was. You’ve got to look at things like that.
“When they stopped the fight, the judges had it even – one judge had it for me, one judge had it even and one judge had it for Campas. My face didn’t hold up; I looked like the Elephant Man. They stopped the fight in Round 8. The doctor told me my face looked OK on the outside, but on the inside I wasn’t healed; I was traumatized on the inside. I should have taken off six months [after the Mullings fight] – here I am already sparring a month after Mullings.”
Result: Campas TKO 8
via Ironbar Boxing on YouTube:
FERNANDO VARGAS
July 17, 1999, Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada • Titles: IBF junior middleweight
“Fernando Vargas was a young, hungry lion. He stopped Yory Boy Campas for the title, and I’m building myself up to try to get the title again. In my time, it wasn’t business. You wanted to fight the best to be the best; it wasn’t about the money. Yeah, money mattered, but we knew if we fight the best, money will come. We didn’t pick and choose.
“There was a lot of build-up towards that fight, me and Oscar [De La Hoya] were Olympic roommates, we were friends. We always stuck together. Oscar said, ‘You want to use my gym in Big Bear? I’ll take care of everything.’ So, I used his gym to get ready for that fight because the fight was going to be in Reno at high altitude on HBO Boxing After Dark. [Vargas] was training in Big Bear, too. Our press conference was crazy; we pushed each other. Another time, we ran into each other at a sports bar at Big Bear and there were some heated conversations. He was an angry guy back then. He’s different now. We made up over the years. His kids box, my kids box, we’re cool.
“I trained my butt off. I fought Fernando Vargas when he was at his best. We saw what happened in the fight. He was the better man. He stopped me in the 11th round.
“I always wonder. He is the guy that tested positive for steroids when he fought Oscar De La Hoya, and our fight wasn’t at that level. We didn’t get tested. You don’t know. Maybe that’s why he was so angry? It wouldn’t surprise me, but look, he beat me. It is what it is. He ended up being a great fighter and had some great matches.”
Result: Vargas TKO 11
GIOVANNI LORENZO
June 21, 2008, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida • Titles: None
“In boxing, you make money when you’re young and coming up, and you also make money when you become an ex-world champion. I was at the last leg of my career. I was 36 years old. I was fighting another young, hungry lion on Showtime Championship Boxing.
“[Lorenzo was] 26-0; he was a knockout artist, big dude, and the fight that got me to that point was the Bronco McKart fight the fight before that. I beat Bronco McKart in Michigan. The winner of that fight would get a shot at an eliminator with Giovanni Lorenzo to fight Arthur Abraham [for the IBF middleweight title.] I beat Bronco McKart, but by the time they changed the decision to a draw, the fight between me and Lorenzo was already scheduled.
“When I fought Lorenzo, I trained hard and took him to school. I used my veteran skills. You know how they say a veteran has one last great fight? Well, I put my veteran skills to work. I bullied him. He was a strong guy, he hurt me a bunch of times. He tried to headbutt me [which cost Lorenzo a point in Round 10 and meant he lost by one point on all three scorecards.] I used my experience and I won a close unanimous decision.
“If you look at the ringside scores, they had me winning comfortably, which I think I did. He was with Main Events and was the favorite to win. He was supposed to beat the veteran, but I shocked the world.”
Result: Marquez UD 12
via Salita Promotions on YouTube:
ARTHUR ABRAHAM
November 8, 2008, Jako-Arena, Bamberg, Germany • Titles: IBF middleweight
“I’d trained to my fullest for that fight. We even went to Germany two weeks before that fight. I was sparring some national German champions. The fight was supposed to happen in early October. I was ready at that point.
“The weigh-in went well, and the day of the fight Leon Margules from Warriors Boxing is knocking on my door and I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ I get up and he’s like, ‘Fight’s off. Fight’s off.’ I’m still half-asleep. I’m like, ‘The fights off?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, Abraham has the flu. He can’t fight.’ We had to fly all the way back to the United States, regroup, figure out what we’re going to do, how we’re going to run camp.
“The fight gets rescheduled a month later. [We] go back to Bamberg, Germany, again, go through the same process. Abraham, when I fought him, surprised me. He’s got longer arms than you think. I’m a pressure fighter. I couldn’t get to him. I was trying to get inside, but before I would get to him, he was hitting me ’cause his arms were long. He beat me; he was bigger and stronger than me. He dominated me, and after the sixth round my dad decided to stop the fight. He didn’t want me to get hurt.
“We had a press conference, and Abraham came in a bit late because I had fractured one of his ribs from a body shot. He came in with an ice pack on it. Had I known I had fractured one of his ribs, I’d have gone another round and gone for broke.”
Result: Abraham RTD 6
Abraham vs. Marquez (Photo by Tim Schamberger/DDP/AFP via Getty Images)
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].
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