Josue Marquez

Keeping a busy schedule, Marquez faced Eddie Linder, a fighter with a 25-4-6 record, on August 9, barely one month and four days after the Cartwright knockout.

Miguel Velazquez is a Spaniard who by 1970 was world-ranked, with a record of 40-1-1.

Velazquez had just won the vacant European Lightweight title with a 15 round decision over future world Lightweight champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Ken Buchanan.

Josue Marquez Acevedo (November 30, 1946, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico – May 10, 2018) was a Puerto Rican who was once a world title challenging boxer.

Not known for his punching power, (Marquez only won 7 of his 46 professional boxing fights by knockout), Marquez nevertheless gave many of the top boxers of his era trouble and managed to defeat a number of them.

Marquez had an excelling amateur boxing career, which led him to participate at the 1965 Central American and Caribbean Games, held in San Juan and where he boxed all the way to the medals round but was disqualified from further participation because he had problems making the weight for a fight.

He was the national amateur Bantamweight champion in Puerto Rico that year, his amateur career culminating in his winning the international Bantamweight championship as well as the United States' national AAU Bantamweight championship early in 1966, months before he started boxing as a professional.

Marquez began to box professionally on August 20, 1966, when he beat Alberto Jorge, who was also making his debut, by a four round decision at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

This was followed by a victory over future Juan Laporte trainer, Carlos Espada (brother of Angel Espada) on October 1.

Espada was also making his debut.

Marquez's next bout was against Carlos' brother, the future WBA world welterweight champion Angel Espada.

Espada was also a debutant.

On February 11, 1967, Marquez outpointed the future world champion over six rounds, winning by decision.

On March 23, he fought Richard Alexander and won by four round split decision, also in what was his first fight abroad, fought at the Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky, United States.

A rematch with Alberto Jorge followed on April 5 at San Juan and he again beat Jorge by four rounds decision.

On April 8, 1967, Marquez defeated Colon by six round decision, then on May 5, he boxed Ernesto Ortega at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium, suffering a mild upset defeat when Ortega, 3-2 coming in, outpointed Marquez over six rounds.

The loss was followed by a fight against debuting "Indio" Macias on September 16, in which Marquez scored his first knockout win as a professional, defeating Macias by knockout in round three.

On October 20, 1967, Marquez and Carlos Espada fought a rematch; this time around, Marquez repeated his four round points victory over Espada, and then, on March 15, 1968, Marquez made his New York City debut, fighting fellow Puerto Rican Angel Torres, a respected prospect who had won nine bouts and lost one prior to Marquez fighting him.

This bout took place at the National Maritime Union Hall and Marquez prevailed by eight round decision.

Josue Marquez and Jose Colon fought a rematch on April 29, 1968, at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan.

By this time, Colon's record was 11 wins, 11 losses and 6 draws.

Marquez scored his second career knockout win when he beat a shopworn Colon in the second round, and then traveled to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to fight debuting Jose Anglada on June 29, defeating Anglada by a six round decision.

Another rematch followed that win, this time against Angel Torres, by then 9-2.

On August 15 at San Juan, Marquez once again beat Torres, by eight rounds decision.

Marquez had a lay-off of almost one year after the Torres rematch, but he returned with a win, on July 5, 1969, over previously undefeated (6-0-1) Joe Cartwright by a fifth round technical knockout in San Juan.

On October 11 of that year (1969), he faced Bobo Akerson of the Bronx, New York., stopping the 8-4 contender in round eight at San Juan.

On November 1, he stopped Jorge Nogueras in three rounds at San Juan.

This fight was a mismatch; Nogueras was 0-1 coming in.

Marquez closed out his 1969 campaign with a ten rounds points victory over Graci in San Juan.

On January 10, 1970, Marquez traded gloves with Bobby Joe Hughes, a 9 win, 11 loss trial horse, and he defeated Hughes by ten round decision in San Juan.

On March 14, he faced Marcus Anderson, who was 17-1, also at San Juan.

Having returned from Italy to Puerto Rico, Marquez boxed Rocky Orengo only 12 days after the Salami bout, on April 30, 1970.

Orengo was 7-9-2 coming into their bout, held at San Juan.

Marquez defeated Orengo by ten round decision.

When Marquez and Velazquez met, May 22, 1970 at Madrid, Spain's Palacio de los Deportes, they fought for a better world ranking among the top ten Junior Welterweights of the time, Marquez weighing 136 and a half pounds and Velazquez 138, one and a half and three pounds over the Lightweight division's weight limit, respectively, but also 3 and a half and 2 pounds under the Junior Welterweight division's weight limit.

Only three days after his rematch with Jorge, Marquez followed by fighting the far more experienced, 10-5-5 Jose Colon, at the Cancha Pepin Cestero in the northern Puerto Rican city of Bayamon.

Marquez won by eight rounds decision and twenty one days later saw off the challenge of Benny Huertas (who would famously oppose Roberto Durán in Durán's Madison Square Garden debut two years later) on August 30, outpointing the 11-9-3 fighter over eight rounds in San Juan.

A far more experienced boxer, Jerry Graci, awaited Marquez in his next fight; Graci was 16-15-5 in 36 professional contests when he and Marquez duly met on December 6 at San Juan.

Marquez won this fight by seventh round knockout, and then in April, Marquez traveled to Italy to take on 19-7-6 Giampero Salami on April 18, at Cremona, Lombardia.

Marquez lost this bout for his second loss as a professional, by eight round decision.