Will the real Marquez rise?

Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez’ showing in outpointing Mike Alvarado recently has revived suspicions that he may be taking anabolic steroids or performance-enhancing-drugs (PEDs) particularly as he works closely with controversial conditioning coach Angel (Memo) Heredia.

Marquez, who turns 41 in August, appears to have found the Fountain of Youth that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon supposedly sought out in journeying around the world in 1513. For a fighter his age, Marquez looked extremely fit, quick and strong in hacking out a one-sided unanimous decision over Alvarado in Los Angeles last May 17. The three judges’ scorecards weren’t close, 117-109 twice and 119-108, even as Marquez took a mandatory eight-count in the ninth round. I scored the fight 117-109 and gave only two rounds, the ninth and 11th, to Alvarado.

Incredibly, Marquez did his handiwork weighing 141 3/4 pounds, the least he has scaled since knocking out Manny Pacquiao at 143 and losing to Timothy Bradley at 144 1/2. Curiously, Marquez was hardly sharp in the Bradley fight unlike in the Pacquiao and Alvarado bouts. John Dennen of Boxing News noticed that Marquez “may have lost some string in his legs” in losing to Bradley on a split decision. Maybe, Bradley’s movement made Marquez seem slower than he really is. Or maybe, Marquez stayed away from anabolic steroids for the fight.

But one thing’s for sure, Marquez fought and looked differently against Pacquiao and Alvarado than against Bradley. In fact, it was like night and day. Marquez showed up for his fourth encounter with Pacquiao looking like a poster boy for a muscle magazine. His six-pack put steroid-laced wrestlers to shame. Mixed martial arts fighter Chael Sonnen said Marquez “miraculously went through puberty a second time.”

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In the Alvarado bout, someone who has dabbled in PEDs observed the acne on Marquez’ chest. Elevated testosterone causes acne and anabolic steroids create effects similar to testosterone. Despite the widespread suspicions, there is no evidence pointing to Marquez’ use of illegal drugs. So that a direct accusation could be libelous. However, the speculation isn’t unwarranted. Marquez should subject himself to VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) 24/7/365 random testing to clear the air once and for all.

Are there undetectable boutique drugs? It’s possible that with modern technology, some PEDs may be absorbed in the body without detection. But surely, VADA is aware of this and with random testing, should be able to track traces if any in one’s system.

When Marquez knocked out Pacquiao, he appeared to be two or three times stronger than the Filipino icon. In three previous fights, Marquez had never been able to floor Pacquiao. But in their fourth meeting, Marquez put Pacquiao down twice, the first on a right from long range and the second, for the full count. At his age, how it is possible that Marquez has become faster and more powerful?

Before facing Alvarado, Marquez declared, “right now, I feel like when I was 23 years old.” It was evident in the way he trounced Alvarado, showing incredible hand and foot-speed at 40. In the eighth round, Marquez decked Alvarado who was almost knocked out of the ring.

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Marquez isn’t invulnerable. His record shows seven losses and he’s been knocked down five times by Pacquiao and once each by Alvarado, Michael Katsidis, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Freddie Norwood. But if he’s juiced up, Marquez wouldn’t mind taking one to give one because he knows his punch will pack a lot more sock.

From the way things look, Pacquiao and Marquez will meet to cap their quintology in November. Where is the question mark. Macau seems to be a front-runner but Las Vegas is always a prime candidate because of the money that bets bring in and the high-volume marketability of a fight in the US. For Pacquiao and Marquez, they’ll want a site where their earnings won’t take such a big tax bite. For the fans, they want to be assured of a clean and fair fight.  Marquez should be tested thoroughly by VADA so that no matter who wins, the outcome will be undisputed.

At this stage in Marquez’ career, he should unconditionally disavow the use of PEDs. He’s a Mexican boxing legend who’s headed for the Hall of Fame. His trainer Nacho Beristain is a Hall of Famer himself. If Marquez is found to be using PEDs, the glowing reputation he built in over 20 years as a fighter goes down the drain. It’s not worth shying away from VADA. If Marquez is the “real” champion he claims he is, then he should submit himself to VADA random testing. That’s the only way to quash speculation of using drugs to turn back the hands of time.