On July 31st from the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez (50 – 5 – 1 37 KO’s) will face Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz (35 – 3 17 KO’s) in a rematch of their classic fight from 2009. Marquez vs. Diaz II “Fight of the Year: The Rematch” is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Boxing Promotions which features a rarely seen stacked undercard with fights like: Daniel Jacobs vs Dimitry Pirog, Robert Guerrero vs Joel Casamayor and Jorge Linares vs Rocky Juarez.

After their first encounter both Marquez and Diaz have had a not so stellar run as both fighters are coming off loses. They both desperately need a win to stay relevant at the elite level and a devastating loss may convince them to hang them up. It’s that do or die storyline that makes this match up a must watch for any boxing fan.

The 36 year old Dinamita is deservedly regarded as a top pound for pound fighter and future hall-a-famer and he still feels like he can compete with best fighters in the world. Back in September that competative mentality led Marquez to go up against fellow pound for pounder Floyd Mayweather Jr. In a clear mismatch happening 20 lbs above Dinamita’s best weight. Marquez looked slow and clearly affected by the extra weight but that’s not to undermine that he was facing the best fighter in the world who completely outclassed him in route to a unanimous decision.

Meanwhile Diaz is looking to get back in the win column after going 1 and 1 against Brooklyn’s Paulie Malignaggi. Some argue that Diaz lost both fights due to highly controversial judges scoring in the first fight that went in Diaz favor which was held in Houston, Texas, Diaz hometown. Questions about Diaz had started to roam throughout the boxing community after the Nate Campbell loss and the poor performances against Malignaggi only added more fule to the fire. Many observers are staring to wonder if his come forward style had turned him into a shopworn fighter at only 26. We’ll have a better idea come Saturday night.

Will Marquez age start to show? Can Diaz go back to the Diaz that the boxing world was so excited about?

Their first encounter was very intriguing as it was only Marquez second fight at 135 lbs. against a young punching machine in Diaz that seemed to be hitting his prime. Many observers thought that, although very skilled, Marquez was way over his head in challenging a young rising star. But just 2 fights apart from his controversial decision loss to Filipino star Manny Pacquiao, Marquez was determined to follow Pacquiao to the lightweight division in search of a rubber match.

Diaz on the other hand, then 33 – 0, was making his 8th world title defense against rugged veteran Nate Campbell. The seemly unstoppable Diaz was making his case as one of the best fighters in the world but Campbell shocked the bloodied Diaz by beating him at his own game. Never been cut before, many fans figured that he just wasn’t able to respond well to fighting with a cut. Supporting that theory Diaz bounced back in his next fight by out working fan favorite Michael Katsidiz before facing Marquez.

In the first fight Diaz was pressuring well early trapping Marquez in the corners and landing vicious body shots and not allowing Marquez to get in any type of rhythm. The first couple of rounds were going in Diaz favor he was making Marquez fight by making him stand toe to toe raising his chances of wearing him down or catch him with a big shot. And he did land big shots, rocking Marquez a few times but Marquez was able to adjust, and using his ring intelligence, he was starting to showcase his superior boxing skills against the forward-coming Diaz. By the time the middle rounds came along he was more accurate with his punches and was keeping the fight in the center of the ring were he had a clear advantage. He was slipping Diaz punches and was starting to land more often and in the 8th round a left uppercut and left hook dropped Diaz for first time in the fight. In the 9th round Diaz, with no shortage of heart, came out as he started the fight: applying pressure and swinging and landing shots. But Marquez knew he had Diaz hurt and towards the end of the round he rocked him with a right hand then moments later he put a right body shot and a picture perfect uppercut together to put Diaz down and out.

Now almost a year and a half later we’ll see what these fighters have improved on or what they have lost. In an interesting fight that will determine who’s moving forward to bigger things and who might need to think real hard if they want to continue with their career.

As expected the odds are overwhelmingly in Marquez favor but that’s why they fight the fights and with a promising undercard I’ll be in front of television (as I’m sure you will) to enjoy a great night of fights.

1. Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis preview- Fight of the year 2010?
2. Marquez-Diaz rematch on the horizon