When Rafael Marquez was destroying his opponents in the bantamweight division, he was recognized as one of the most brutal punchers in the division. But the journey north of 118 pounds is another planet altogether, and though Marquez can still punch, Israel Vasquez is the man at 122. He showed that last night in their rubber match at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, where after being outboxed for the first part of their fight, the bigger, stronger Vasquez pushed Marquez around the ring and won a split decision with scores of 114-111 twice (one each for both fighters) and 113-112 for Vasquez.

Vasquez, 43-4 (31), who retained the Ring magazine junior featherweight title, scored a knockdown in the dying seconds of the fight when an exhausted and overwhelmed Marquez held himself up with the ropes. The referee ruled it a knockdown, although Marquez protested to no avail. Marquez falls to 37-5 (33), and although there is already talk of a fourth fight, the two should not meet again anytime soon, if ever. The punishment dished out by the heavy-handed brawlers was enough to shorten their careers. However, as the consensus among boxing writers is that Vasquez is just too big and strong for Marquez, Marquez, in typical Mexican machismo fashion, may find himself clamouring for another shot at his nemesis once the dust settles. That would not be a good idea

In the opening round both fighters went to the body; Marquez exhibited his superior speed and textbook skills, but they were negated as the fight wore on by Vasquez's unrelenting determination and hard punches. Vasquez hurt his fellow Mexican rival with an uppercut and Marquez went back to the jab, a pattern that would play itself out over the course of the fight. In the 4th, Marquez employed his left jab and uppercut to strong effect, and knocked Vasquez down with a quick short right. Marquez did not go after his dangerous-when-hurt opponent, and sure enough within seconds Vasquez had rallied to hurt Marquez. Vasquez's punching power was apparent in the first two fights, and this one was no exception. Marquez's knees buckled on many occasions when his opponent landed a clean right hand or left hook. By the end of the fight, Marquez was backpedaling, too tired to throw the jab and keep the pitbull that was Vasquez off of him. It was the contrast of the conditions of both fighters in the final round that sealed the victory for Vasquez

In defeat, Marquez should take a long rest and consider returning to 118, where fights with fellow Mexican star Jorge Arce and up-and-coming undefeated Abner Mares could provide decent pays. And speaking of decent paydays, the fact that Marquez and Vasquez gave us three thrilling wars and are not exactly comfortable millionaires, while Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought a glorified sparring session for countless millions, is beyond outrage. But that's the price the little guys have to pay; the unsung heroes of boxing's lower weight classes who fight with heart, passion, and—as was shown last night—tons of skill, just to provide for their families. There was no promotional tour, no guest appearances on Jay Leno, no coverage on Entertainment tonight. Just a great, bloody Mexican-style scrap.

Calls for a fourth fight are sadistic. We're lucky to have already seen three.