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Marquez scores bloody victory over Vazquez

Sat 22nd, May 2010

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Rafael Marquez scored a bloody third-round stoppage of Israel Vazquez Saturday night at Staples Center, evening the fierce rivalry after four bouts.

Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs), a two-time champion, capitalized with the early win due to cuts over both eyes of Vazquez (44-5, 33 KOs).

A clash of heads opened a deep gash over the left eye of Vazquez, and the three-time world champion had a hard time adjusting to the injury. With blood gushing from his face, Vazquez was the recipient of a solid right hand from Marquez in the second round.

In the third, an accidental head butt opened a cut over the right eye of Vazquez. Marquez immediately pounced on his opponent, landing several shots that were not answered, causing referee Raul Caiz Jr. to call a halt to the action at the 1:33 mark.

The two titans fought each other three straight times, starting March 3, 2007 and ending March 1, 2008, Marquez won the first bout but lost the ensuing two in the super bantamweight division, setting up the fourth installment of the series.

On the undercard, Yonnhy Perez retained his IBF bantamweight title despite fighting to a 12-round draw with Abner Mares.

Although there were no knockdowns in the bout, Perez (20-0-1) gained the upper hand in the early rounds before withstanding a flurry from the challenger. Mares (20-0-1) nailed the champion with a left hook against the ropes in round 10 and had a good combination in the closing seconds of the fight to come away with a 115-113 win on one of the scorecards. The other two judges had the fight 114-114.

This was the first title defense for Perez, who became champion with a unanimous decision over Joseph Agbeko last October 31. Mares was in his first title bout.