MARQUEZ KOs DIAZ; JOHN RETAINS WBA TITLE VIA DRAW DECISION... by George Elsasser

Saturday night's HBO twin-bill special hit the proverbial fistic lottery with Indonesia’s Chris John retaining the WBA featherweight strap over Houston’s Rocky Juarez in a boxer versus puncher sizzler that closed on a standoff - then followed with a lightweight title barn burner for the ages that saw Juan Manuel Marquez scoring a come from behind stanza nine KO over a gallant Juan Diaz.
John entered undefeated at 42-0-1 with 22 stoppages - Juarez arrived at 28-4, 20 KOs - and with it, we see John the slower out of the gate in the role of boxer, while Juarez quickly grabs the opening two stanzas behind a busy two-fisted body assault.

AN ALL OUT TEXAS SLUGFEST... by Bill Stephens
"An all out war " yell the announcers at the end of round one, both boxers slugging away until the sound of the bell. The capacity crowd witnessed two warriors standing toe to toe in a true Texas slugfest.

APPOINTED OFFICIALS FOR MARQUEZ - DIAZ...
Duane Ford, Max DeLuca and L Martinez have been called upon to judge the Marquez - Diaz championship bout. Rafael Ramos will be the third man in the ring.

Juan Manuel Marquez hit the scale at 134-1/4 lbs., Juan Diaz at 134-1/2 lbs. Marquez will wear Reyes gloves while Juan Diaz will go to work in Everlast gloves.

MARQUEZ vs DIAZ and JOHN vs JUAREZ OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27^TH 1:00 PM CT... 

Marquez vs. Diaz is a 12 round unification bout for Marquez' Ring Magazine World Lightweight Championship, Diaz' IBO World Lightweight Championship belt, the vacant WBA World Lightweight Super Championship and the vacant World WBO Lightweight Championship.  John vs. Juarez is a 12 round bout for John's WBA World Featherweight Championship. 
The bouts are presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines and will take place on February 28^th from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas and will be televised live on HBO's World Championship Boxing beginning at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT.

Weigh in is open to the public, and we ask that you be there early.  The weigh in will take place at the Toyota Center, Main Entrance, 1510 Polk St., Houston, Texas 77002.

LIGHTWEIGHT STANDOUTS JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ AND JUAN DIAZ TO BATTLE FOR VACANT WBA AND WBO BELTS ON FEBRUARY 28...
If fighting for the prestigious Ring Magazine and IBO World Lightweight Championship belts wasn't enough, on February 28th at TOYOTA Center in Houston, Texas, Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz will also have the vacant WBA World Lightweight Super Championship and WBO World Lightweight Championship belts on the line in their highly anticipated showdown.
"The more championship belts for me, the better," said Marquez.  "I want to unify the lightweight division and I'm excited to have the opportunity to add two more titles to my collection on February 28th.

CHRIS JOHN AND ROCKY JUAREZ SET TO BATTLE ON FEBRUARY 28 IN HOUSTON ON MARQUEZ-DIAZ CO-FEATURE LIVE ON HBO...

It's the homecoming fight Rocky Juarez has dreamed of ever since he turned pro and on Saturday, February 28^th at Houston's Toyota Center, the 2000 US Olympic Silver medalist will have an opportunity to face the premier featherweight in the world, unbeaten WBA World Featherweight Champion Chris John in a 12 round championship bout.

Chris John has been one of boxing's most consistent world champions and we're excited to finally bring him to the United States so the fans here can see him in person," said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions.  "He's in for a tough night against Rocky Juarez, who is more determined than ever to capture a world championship.  With John looking to impress U.S. fans and Juarez looking for his first world championship, this has all the makings of a great fight."