Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (1st meeting)

Aired On: HBO World Championship Boxing (Main Event)
Promoter: Golden Boy Promotions
Announcer: Michael Buffer

Notes

Juan Manuel Marquez came in ranked as the # 2 fighter pound-for-pound and the # 1 lightweight in the world by The Ring Magazine. Juan Diaz came in as the # 2 lightweight in the world by the same publication.
Marquez defends his Ring Magazine Lightweight World Title.
Other fighters in attendance included Bernard Hopkins, Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley.
In Round 5, Marquez developed a small cut, from a punch, in the corner of his right eyelid.
In Round 8, a left uppercut opened a bad cut on the the right eyelid of Juan Diaz. He was latter wobbled in the same round from another left uppercut.
At 2:16 of Round 9, a combination sparked by a right hook and finished with a left uppercut sent Diaz falling forward and down to all fours and underneath the bottom rope. He was up at the count of four and received a standing eight-count.
At 2:34 in Round 9, a tremendous right uppercut dropped Diaz flat on his back in the center of the ring. Without beginning a count, the referee immediately waved and end to the bout.

In the post-fight interview with HBO's Max Kellerman, Marquez said that he would like to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. since, his first choice, Manny Pacquiao said he was not interested in a third meeting. Either way, Marquez said he would likely move up in weight class for his next fight.
"What you just saw was a really good young fighter knocked out by a great old fighter." - HBO's Max Kellerman
"February twenty-eighth is a little early to proclaim something the Fight of the Year, but good luck to the rest of the sport in producing something that good or that significant." - HBO's Jim Lampley