Heroes & Villains

After three brutal fights within a 12-month span, Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez needed a year off to heal from their injuries. Apparently, the time off wasn't enough for Vazquez as old wounds resurfaced in the fourth showdown with Marquez and his corner simply couldn't stop the bleeding.

Vazquez-Marquez IV held Saturday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles didn't quite live up to the previous three classic clashes because it was cut short - two cuts to be exact. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. stopped the featherweight bout with 1:33 remaining in the third round when it was determined that Vazquez could no longer protect himself due to two nasty cuts above his eyes.

Miguel Diaz, Vazquez's cutman, said during the postfight news conference that the cut his fighter suffered above his left eye, which was caused by a devastating straight right hand from Marquez in the first round, was one of the worst he's seen and Vazquez's corner nearly stopped the fight after the second round. "It was impossible to stop," said Diaz, who also explained that the cut was three levels deep into the skin and near the bone.

Vazquez suffered a second cut early in the third round on an accidental head-butt.

"It really affected me. There was a lot of blood and, honestly, I couldn't see the punches coming," said the 32-year-old Vazquez (44-5, 33 knockouts), who admitted that he may have to start considering retirement. "I really need to regroup with my family and think about it."

With both eyes swollen and blood tricking down his face, Vazquez was clearly bothered and he did not contest the referee's decision to halt the bout.

Lost in all the frenzy of the sudden stoppage was Marquez's brilliant performance.

Marquez (39-5, 35 knockouts) knew going into his fourth showdown with his rival that he needed to be the aggressor and the busier fighter to even the score, which stood at 2-1 in favor of Vazquez prior to Saturday night.

From the opening bell, Marquez, 35, established his left jab to put Vazquez on his heels and stayed in attack mode. Early in the third round, Marquez caught Vazquez with a couple of short punches to the head that brought him down to one knee.

"I prepared myself so good, I really wanted to even the score," said Marquez. "I came very, very prepared. I threw everything at him. The strategy was to throw a lot of punches."

Now that each fighter has won twice, would there be a fifth fight? "I got a look at Israel's eyes and I don't think I want to see a fifth fight," said co-promoter Gary Shaw.

The victory puts Marquez, the younger brother of Juan Manuel Marquez, in the front of a very talented pack in the 126-pound division. Marquez vows to fight the best fighters in the world. One of them could be Puerto Rican superstar Juan Manuel Lopez, who just happened to be sitting with the media in the press room when Marquez was addressing reporters about his next fight.

"I'm happy he said he wanted to fight me," said Lopez, who fights Bernabe Conception of the Philippines on July 10. "Hopefully we can make it happen. [Marquez] is a strong fighter but I have no doubt I can beat him."

More than 9,200 boxing fans attended Vazquez-Marquez IV, and among those in attendance were actress Charlize Theron, actor Garry Shandling, NFL star Larry Fitzgerald and legandary boxing trainer Freddie Roach.

"We witnessed four great fights," said co-promoter Oscar De La Hoya. "Marquez is a great fighter and he comes from a family of great fighters. He is a champion. It’s 2-2 now and that’s the way it should end. There are no losers here."