5 of the most memorable fights in Showtime Boxing championship history

3. Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez 3 - March 01, 2008

It's difficult to imagine anything coming close to the sheer savagery and attraction showcased by Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo.

However, over a span of a year, Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez put on a trilogy of fights that stamped them in boxing history. The third fight, especially, was arguably the best of their encounters.

Before moving up to the super bantamweight division, Marquez was considered the best bantamweight in boxing. He held victories over Mark Johnson, Tim Austin, and Silence Mabuza. Vasquez fought in the super bantamweight division for most of his career and had the WBC championship.

Both fighters had a history of being a part of entertaining bouts. So, the anticipation that Vazquez-Marquez could deliver something special was high.

In their first two bouts, they traded stoppages. Marquez won by 7th-round stoppage after Vazquez chose not to continue due to breathing problems from a broken nose.

The second match was even better, with a bloodied Vazquez battling with cuts over his eyes to stop his foe in six rounds. Marquez proved to be the fighter with the better technique. He consistently landed accurate pin-point combinations. In contrast, Vazquez was the harder puncher, flooring Marquez in both fights.

Their third battle would take it to the next stratosphere.

Neither man scored a stoppage, but Marquez knocked down Vazquez in the third match, altering the dynamic from their two previous bouts. In a fight with several swing rounds that saw both combatants have their moments, the final round would be the deciding factor.

In the final moments of the 12th round, Vazquez hurt Marquez, sending him into the ropes. The ropes assisted Marquez from going down, and the referee gave him an eight count. Those final moments were what separated the two fighters on the judge's scorecards.

Vazquez would win a split-decision victory.