Marquez too strong for Diaz

Marquez: points victory

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Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez claimed a unanimous points victory over American Juan Diaz in Las Vegas to retain his WBO lightweight title.

There was no repeat of the fireworks which saw Diaz knocked out in the ninth when the two met in February 2009 in a bout named fight of the year, but Marquez just had enough quality to hold off Diaz.

The last time these two met, Diaz was well on top in the early stages, but this time it was far more even.

Diaz appeared to be conserving energy, wary of a repeat of the knockout he suffered last year, but that also made him less effective and allowed Marquez to dictate for large periods.

Authority

Marquez stamped his authority on the fight in the fourth round as Diaz struggled to find an answer to his power.

A big combination in round six had Diaz rattled and the Texan appeared to be doing little more than hanging in there.

He came storming back in the last three rounds against his older opponent, but to no avail on the scorecards.

"The first one was difficult, it was a war for both," Marquez told Sky Sports. "This was more technical but I managed to come out on top.

"He's a great fighter. He knows some technique. But tonight the technique was in our favour."

Trilogy

Marquez has been linked with a fight against Amir Khan, who watched on from ringside, but the Mexican instead targeted a third fight with Manny Pacquiao. The Mexican drew with the Filipino in 2004 and suffered a narrow defeat four years later.

"The trilogy with Pacquiao is what I want," said Marquez, 51-5-1, (37 KOs). "Everybody wants to see it. It's good for all fight fans, for the Mexicans, the Filipinos. Everyone wants to see it. That's the most important fight for me now."