Marquez knocks out Diaz to unify lightweight belts

By Chris Duncan

HOUSTON (AP)—Juan Manuel Marquez stamped himself as the world’s top lightweight with a ninth-round knockout of Juan Diaz in a thrilling title unification fight Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) won the vacant WBA and WBO lightweight belts, plus Diaz’s minor IBO title, finishing off the Houston native with a right uppercut at 2:40 of the ninth round. The 35-year-old Marquez, a former featherweight and super-featherweight champion, was fighting at 135 pounds for only the second time in his 15-year professional career.

Diaz (34-2) called the fight the most important of his life, but he lost for the second time in three fights. His other defeat was to Nate Campbell, whose WBA and WBO titles were stripped after he failed to make weight for his own defense two weeks ago. read more