Rafael Márquez (boxer)

For other people named Rafael Márquez, see Rafael Márquez (disambiguation).

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Márquez and the second or maternal family name is Méndez.

Rafael Márquez
Statistics
Real name	Rafael Márquez Méndez
Rated at	Super featherweight Featherweight Super bantamweight Bantamweight
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Reach	68 in (173 cm)
Nationality	Mexican
Born	(1975-03-25) March 25, 1975 Mexico City, Mexico
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	50
Wins	41
Wins by KO	37
Losses	9

Rafael Márquez Méndez (born 25 March 1975) is a Mexican former professional boxer. He won the IBF and IBO bantamweight titles, the WBC super bantamweight title, and challenged for the WBO featherweight title. His older brother Juan Manuel Márquez is also a multiple-time world champion.

Professional career

Márquez began his professional boxing career with an eighth round knockout loss to former WBC Bantamweight champion Victor Rabanales.

He gained recognition by defeating two division world champion Mark Johnson (40-1-0) by a split decision. In a rematch, Márquez knocked out Johnson in the eighth round in an IBF bantamweight title eliminator bout.

Bantamweight

On February 15, 2003, he came from behind to knock out Tim Austin (25-0-1) to claim the IBF Bantamweight title, in what was considered to be a big upset. Márquez went on to successfully defend his title seven times. His notable title defenses were two victories over former light flyweight champion Mauricio Pastrana, a decision win over Ricardo Vargas and two knockout victories over former as well as future IBO Bantamweight champion Silence Mabuza, whom he defeated for the second time on August 5, 2006 in his final defense.

Super Bantamweight

See also; Israel Vázquez-Rafael Márquez rivalry

Márquez moved up a weight division to challenge and defeat WBC Superbantamweight champion Israel Vázquez in seven rounds. However, in a rematch in July 2007, Márquez lost his title after being defeated by Vázquez in the sixth round when the referee stopped the fight. The rematch was named the 2007 fight of the year. In the rubber match of their trilogy, Rafael lost a split decision, with scores of 113-112 and 114-111 to Vázquez, with one judge seeing it 114-111 for Márquez. Márquez may not have lost this bout if not for a point deduction for a low blow in the tenth round. Marquez and promoter Gary Shaw claimed that this hit was on the belt line and should not have elicited any deductions. Márquez was able to knock Vázquez down for the first time in the trilogy in this third fight, but Vázquez in turn put Márquez down in the final seconds of the 12th round, securing the victory and giving Márquez his fifth defeat.

Márquez was ranked number three in The Ring magazine's pound-for-pound rankings. and ranked as the Ring Magazine's number one Bantamweight boxer. He later became the top ranked boxer in the Super Bantamweight division before his loss to Vázquez.

Featherweight

Márquez was inactive for over a year as he recuperated from the trilogy with Vázquez. On May 23, 2009, he returned to the ring by scoring a 3rd round TKO over José Francisco Mendoza (21-2-2) in the featherweight division.

In the first week of May 2010, Márquez announced his 4th and final match with Israel Vásquez. After three epic battles, Vázquez and Márquez fought for a fourth time on May 22, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The bout was appropriately titled "Once and Four All" and carried live by Showtime. Márquez scored a third round TKO victory over Vázquez to even their series at two wins each. Afterwards, Márquez stated; "The fifth one could be a possibility if the fans vote for it. That is what I live for. Israel Vásquez is a great fighter."

In his next fight, he was scheduled to challenge undefeated WBO Featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez on September 18, 2010, however, the fight had to be postponed by several weeks when Márquez suffered a thumb injury which prevented him from training. Márquez would ultimately lose the bout by 8th round TKO after he was unable to continue due to a shoulder injury. After the fight, Márquez said that he had chosen to proceed with the bout despite a right shoulder injury suffered before the contest because he did not wish to cause a second delay. According to Márquez, he re-aggravated that injury in the third round during a flurry of punches. He also expressed his eagerness to face Lopez in a rematch. It was later revealed that Márquez had suffered a hairline fracture in his right shoulder blade during the fight and would require 6 months to recover from the injury.

Return to Super Bantamweight

On 16 July 2011, Márquez made his comeback in Cancún on the same card as his brother, Juan Manuel, against Eduardo Becerril. Both fights were tune-ups and the younger Márquez brother comfortably dealt with his opponent, knocking him down once on the way to a 6th round TKO.

Márquez fought against WBC Super Bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka on 1 October at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Marquez lost by unanimous decision.

Professional Record

41 Wins (37 knockouts), 9 Losses (6 Knockouts), 0 Draw
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Rd., Time	Date	Venue and Location	Notes
Loss	41-9	Efrain Esquivias	TKO	9 (12)	September 7, 2013	Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California, United States
Loss	41-8	Cristian Mijares	TKO	9 (12)	October 27, 2012	Arena Cuidad de Mexico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	41-7	Eric Aiken	KO	2 (10)	May 5, 2012	Auditorio Municipal, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Loss	40-7	Toshiaki Nishioka	UD	12	October 1, 2011	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, United States	WBC Super Bantamweight title on the line.
Win	40-6	Eduardo Becerril	RTD	6 (10)	July 16, 2011	Plaza de Toros, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Loss	39-6	Juan Manuel López	RTD	8 (12), 3:00	November 6, 2010	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, United States	For WBO Featherweight title on the line.
Win	39-5	Israel Vázquez	TKO	3 (12), 1:33	May 22, 2010	Staples Center, Los Angeles, United States	Won WBC Silver Featherweight Title. Vazquez was knocked down in the third round.
Win	38-5	Jose Francisco Mendoza	TKO	3 (10), 2:26	May 23, 2009	Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
Loss	37-5	Israel Vázquez	SD	12 (12)	March 1, 2008	The Home Depot Center, Carson, United States	For WBC, The Ring & Lineal Junior Featherweight World Titles.
Loss	37-4	Israel Vázquez	TKO	6 (12), 1:16	August 4, 2007	Dodge Arena, Hidalgo, United States	For WBC, The Ring & Lineal Junior Featherweight World Titles.
Win	37-3	Israel Vázquez	RTD	7 (12), 3:00	March 3, 2007	The Home Depot Center, Carson, United States	Won WBC, The Ring & Lineal Junior Featherweight World Titles.
Win	36-3	Silence Mabuza	RTD	9 (12), 3:00	August 5, 2006	MontBleu Resort & Casino, Stateline, United States	Rematch. Retained IBF and IBO bantamweight titles.
Win	35-3	Silence Mabuza	TKO	4 (12), 2:08	November 5, 2005	Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, United States	Retained IBF bantamweight title. Wins IBO bantamweight title.
Win	34-3	Ricardo Vargas	UD	12 (12)	May 28, 2005	Staples Center, Los Angeles, United States	Retained IBF bantamweight title.
Win	33-3	Mauricio Pastrana	TKO	8 (12), 3:00	November 27, 2004	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, United States	Rematch. Retained IBF bantamweight title.
Win	32-3	Heriberto Ruiz	KO	3 (12), 2:11	July 31, 2004	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, United States	Retained IBF bantamweight title.
Win	31-3	Peter Frissina	TKO	2 (12), 3:00	January 31, 2004	Dodge Theater, Phoenix, United States	Retained IBF bantamweight title.
Win	30-3	Mauricio Pastrana	UD	12 (12)	October 4, 2003	Staples Center, Los Angeles, United States	Retained IBF bantamweight title.
Win	29-3	Tim Austin	TKO	8 (12), 2:20	February 15, 2003	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, United States	Won IBF bantamweight title.
Win	28-3	Jorge Otero	RTD	6 (10), 0:10	July 12, 2002	La Villa Real Convention Center, McAllen United States	Otero was knocked down in the first round.
Win	27-3	Mark Johnson	TKO	8 (12), 2:41	February 23, 2002	Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas United States	Rematch. Won vacant USBA bantamweight title. This fight was an IBF Bantamweight title eliminator for a chance to fight champion Tim Austin.
Win	26-3	Mark Johnson	SD	10 (10)	October 6, 2001	Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, United States	Johnson was docked two points for holding.
Win	25-3	Gerardo Espinoza	TKO	4 (12), ?:??	July 6, 2001	Jai Alai Fronton, Tijuana, Mexico	Retained WBA Fedelatin bantamweight title.
Win	24-3	Miguel Ochoa	TKO	2 (10), ?:??	June 1, 2001	Poliforum Zamna, Mérida, Mexico
Win	23-3	Jovy Chan	KO	3 (8), ?:??	April 1, 2001	Peppermill Hotel & Casino, Reno, United States
Win	22-3	Aquiles Guzman	RTD	7 (12), 0:10	December 16, 2000	Forum Bicentenario, Maracay, Venezuela	Won WBA Fedelatin bantamweight title.
Loss	21-3	Genaro Garcia	KO	2 (10), ?:??	November 12, 2000	Los Caporales Regency Hotel, Denver, United States
Win	21-2	Tomas Rivera	KO	2 (10), 1:12	August 20, 2000	Community Center, Tucson, United States
Win	20-2	Arturo Estrada	TKO	2 (10), ?:??	June 23, 2000	Poliforum Zamna, Mérida, Mexico
Win	19-2	Ricardo Barrera	TKO	1 (10), ?:??	April 14, 2000	Poliforum Zamna, Mérida, Mexico
Win	18-2	Adrian Cristian Ochoa	TKO	4 (10), 0:47	August 23, 1999	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, United States
Win	17-2	Angel Almena,	KO	1 (10), 2:53	May 10, 1999	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, United States
Win	16-2	Jose Guadalupe Gastelum	KO	6 (10), 3:00	March 8, 1999	Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States
Win	15-2	Ricardo Barrera	KO	1 (?), ?:??	October 24, 1998	Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States
Win	14-2	Dario Diaz	TKO	2 (?), ?:??	August 22, 1998	Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States
Win	13-2	Ivan Salazar	KO	3 (?), ?:??	June 20, 1998	Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States
Loss	12-2	Francisco Mateos	TKO	3 (10), ?:??	May 2, 1998	Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States
Win	12-1	Beldevear Meza	KO	3 (?), ?:??	April 6, 1998	Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, United States
Win	11-1	Jose Felipe Garcia	TKO	1 (?), ?:??	March 4, 1998	Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico
Win	10-1	Julian Mujica	TKO	1 (?), ?:??	January 24, 1998	Arena Coliseo, Mexico City, Mexico
Win	9-1	Evaristo Primero	TKO	4 (6), 1:06	October 22, 1997	Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, United States
Win	8-1	Jose Guillermo Sanchez	TKO	3 (4), ?:??	September 27, 1997	Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, United States
Win	7-1	Gabriel Tinajero	KO	2 (6), ?:??	July 14, 1997	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, United States
Win	6-1	Juan Mendoza	UD	6 (6)	April 21, 1997	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, United States
Win	5-1	Oscar Zamora	KO	2 (?), ?:??	December 9, 1996	Chula Vista, United States
Win	4-1	Robert Enriquez	KO	4 (?), ?:??	October 28, 1996	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, United States
Win	3-1	Mucio Castillo	TKO	1 (?), ?:??	May 15, 1996	Mexico City, Mexico
Win	2-1	Sergio Lopez	TKO	2 (?), ?:??	March 27, 1996	Mexico City, Mexico
Win	1-1	Jose Godinez	TKO	2 (?), ?:??	March 3, 1996	Mexico City, Mexico
Loss	0-1	Victor Rabanales	KO	8 (?), ?:??	September 14, 1995	Campeche, Mexico	Professional debut.

Outside the ring

He was recently in a car accident in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He was on his way to the airport in Mexico City to go to New York to receive the award for fight of the year, where he fought Israel Vázquez.

He made his appearance on Fight Night Round 2 Launced in 2005.

See also

• Notable boxing families
• List of current world boxing champions
• Israel Vázquez-Rafael Márquez rivalry

External links

• Rafael Marquez Fight-by-Fight Career Record
• Professional boxing record for Rafael Márquez from BoxRec
• foxsports.com

Achievements
Preceded by Tim Austin	IBF Bantamweight Champion February 15, 2003 – August 5, 2005 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Luis Alberto Pérez
Preceded by Silence Mabuza	IBO Bantamweight Champion November 5, 2005 – 2006 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Silence Mabuza
Preceded by Israel Vázquez	WBC Junior Featherweight Champion The Ring Junior Featherweight Champion March 3, 2007 – August 4, 2007	Succeeded by Israel Vázquez
Awards
Previous: Somsak Sithchatchawal KO 10 Mahyar Monshipour	The Ring Fight of the Year KO6 Israel Vázquez 2007	Next: Juan Manuel Márquez KO9 Juan Díaz
	The Ring Fight of the Year W12 Israel Vázquez 2008