Counterpunchers face off

By Jeff Haney

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 | 2 a.m.

1. Another golden boy

As he was fighting his way up through the ranks, Joel Casamayor, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist for Cuba, always figured he would one day land a high-profile world title fight against a future hall-of-famer from Mexico. Casamayor, however, thought that opponent would be Marco Antonio Barrera. Instead he faces Juan Manuel Marquez, also acknowledged as one of the sport’s top boxers, on Mexican independence weekend. The fight shapes up as an intriguing pairing of superb counterpunchers, although Casamayor prefers to think of himself as a master of improvisation in the ring. “Basically I’m a savvy guy,” Casamayor, 37, said. “I’m not a guy that’s out there like a robot. I’m a guy that gets loose in the ring. When I get in there, I invent. I’m the guy that dictates the pace.”

2. Stepping up

After losing to Manny Pacquiao in March for the super featherweight world championship, Marquez moves up for his first fight in a lightweight division that’s loaded with talented fighters including Casamayor, Nate Campbell and Juan Diaz. Pacquiao won a lightweight belt in his last outing before opting to step up in weight to fight Oscar De La Hoya in a December megabout. Although he’d surely like another shot at Pacquiao, Marquez has been adamant that he’s taking the Casamayor fight on its own terms. “I’m not thinking about winning this fight to get a rematch with Manny Pacquiao,” Marquez, 35, said. “I’m taking this fight seriously and I’m thinking about Joel Casamayor only.”

3. Tricked out

Casamayor has been hailed as a tricky fighter but also accused by some opponents of relying on dirty tricks in the ring. He considers himself an expert tactician and vowed to throw some surprises at Marquez, including ditching his usual southpaw stance to fight as a right-hander at times. Because of his unusual style, Casamayor’s bouts are notoriously difficult to score when they go the distance. Of his three losses — to Jose Luis Castillo, Diego Corrales and Acelino Freitas — two were by split decision and one was by an extremely close unanimous decision. Casamayor wouldn’t predict a knockout against Marquez. “Basically I’m going to do what I always do, break people down technically,” he said.

4. Big rematch

Sergio Mora, who made his name in “The Contender” TV reality-competition show, upset 37-year-old Vernon Forrest in June as an underdog of nearly 5-1, scoring a 12-round majority decision at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. He puts his belt on the line in one of the biggest rematches of the year against Forrest, a former world champ who considers his loss to Mora a fluke, a result of an uncharacteristically “flat” performance. “I am expecting a different fight from Vernon,” said Mora, 27, of East Los Angeles. “This time around, I expect him to be more focused, and obviously we know each other a little bit better, so he knows what to expect of me and I certainly know what to expect of him.”

5. The odds

Even in his first fight at lightweight, even against an established champion, Marquez enters the bout as a significant betting favorite. After opening at a bit higher than 3-1, the line on Marquez is minus 400 (risk $4 to win $1) in Las Vegas sports books, with the price on the underdog Casamayor at plus 300 (risk $1 to net $3). It’s projected to go the distance, with a line of minus 350 it will go 12 full rounds and plus 250 it will not. In a fight that was previously even money on either side, Forrest has drawn some support at the betting windows, emerging as a minus 130 favorite with Mora a plus 110 underdog.