Marquez-Diaz II has tough act to follow

Most rematches are not worth watching. But if the one between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz is anywhere near as entertaining as their first meeting, fans are in for a treat.

The lightweight stars have agreed to a July 31 fight at Mandalay Bay, where Diaz will try to avenge his ninth-round technical-knockout loss to Marquez, a bout widely voted the 2009 Fight of the Year.

At Saturday’s announcement by Golden Boy Promotions, the fighters talked up the rematch, which will be for the WBA and WBO titles and televised by HBO Pay Per View.

“A lot of people are saying this is a must-win fight for me,” said Diaz (35-3, 17 knockouts). “I see this as redemption for what I was supposed to accomplish in 2009.”

Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) said: “I took this fight for two reasons. One, Juan Diaz is a great fighter. He deserves a rematch. Two, people want to see two warriors in the ring, and I want to give the people, especially the Mexican people, a great fight.”

The first fight, in Diaz’s hometown of Houston on Feb. 28, 2009, was a slugfest. Diaz had Marquez in trouble early, but Marquez’s determination kept him upright.

Marquez fought back, and at 2:40 of the ninth round landed a big right uppercut that dropped Diaz, who couldn’t continue.

The fight was up for grabs until then. One judge had Marquez ahead, one had Diaz winning, and the third had it even.

Both fighters have suffered setbacks since then. Diaz lost a rematch to Paulie Malignaggi on Dec. 12, and Marquez was beaten by Floyd Mayweather Jr. at 147 pounds on Sept. 19.

“Yes, we both were in tough fights recently,” Marquez said. “But I think we have had time to recover, and, for me, returning to 135 pounds is important. I can get my speed back and still keep my strength, and I think that will make the difference when we fight again.”

MGM Mirage sports books have Marquez as a minus-250 favorite, with Diaz at plus-210.

Tickets ranging from $50 to $350 are on sale at the Mandalay Bay box office and through Ticketmaster.

■ GOLDEN GLOVES — Four Nevada boxers will fight for Golden Gloves championships starting Monday at the national tournament in Little Rock, Ark.

Regional champions Rydell Gipson and Andrew Tabiti of Las Vegas and Oscar Vasquez and Santos Vasquez of Reno will compete in the six-day event.

Gipson (201-plus division) fights for Barry’s Boxing and Tabiti (201) for Elite Boxing.

Oscar Vasquez won the regional at 114 pounds, and his brother Santos won at 108.

■ CALZAGHE-HOPKINS REMATCH? — Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said he has spoken to Joe Calzaghe and Bernard Hopkins about a rematch of their 2008 fight at the Thomas & Mack Center, which Calzaghe won by split decision.

“Joe has expressed interest, and so has Bernard. We will see if we can make it happen for the fall,” Schaefer said Saturday.

Hopkins is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision over Roy Jones Jr. on April 3. Calzaghe, who left boxing in 2008 with a 46-0 record after beating Jones, is a former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion. His recent admission that he has used cocaine since his retirement will be a hot topic should he return.

■ WYNN TO HOST PURSE BID — Several promoters will meet Monday at Wynn Las Vegas to submit purse bids for the vacant WBA middleweight title bout between top-ranked Anthony Mundine and No. 2 contender Gennady Golovkin.

While the bids are being tendered in Las Vegas, it doesn’t necessarily mean the fight will be held here.

Neither boxer has fought professionally in the United States. Mundine, a former WBA super middleweight champion, is 38-3 with 23 knockouts, and Golovkin is 18-0 with 15 KOs.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.