Last August in Atlanta, Giovanni Marquez ran toward the corner of the ring shortly after the referee stopped him from doing more damage. He jumped onto the ropes, let out a primal roar, and raised his arms in victory.
Then he trotted to the opposite corner and repeated his congratulations as the overtime boxing crowd roared. He had done the same thing after all five of his previous professional fights. But Giovanni Marquez put a twist on the overtime crowd.
The son of former world champion Raul Marquez took to the center of the ring and performed the signature dance routine of popular Mexican singer Peso Pluma.
Giovanni Marquez adds flair
“Yes, it was that moment,” Giovanni Marquez said of the new dance move. “You're excited. It was for Raza, Peso pluma dance. I want to perform in this match and maybe we'll see another dance. ”
Marquez, who improved his professional record to 7-0 in October and 8-0 in December, returns to the overtime boxing platform on Friday night. The card will be streamed on DAZN. Giovanni Marquez will face Puerto Rico's Jason Velez (30-13-1) in the first of five bouts at Overtime Boxing, part of the popular Overtime Elite Basketball platform .
“We are aiming for a knockout,” says Giovanni Marquez. “We want to impress and win in a dominant way and make a statement.”
The former US Golden Gloves champion has been busy since making his professional debut on March 11, 2022. Since Giovanni's professional debut, he has never gone more than four-and-a-half months between matches. He has made steady progress along the way.
perfect record on the line
With the goal of fighting for a world championship within the next two years, Giovanni Marquez and his father have been steadily building a super-lightweight boxing resume. The handsome Houston native is growing his brand while showing off his personality.
He seemed to smile a little. Giovanni even engaged in some pregame trash talk before his overtime debut. He vowed to “get the bodies” after Nicky Vatton called him a boy before a match last August.
More importantly, he fulfilled his promise. He punched Batone, knocking him down in the first round and ending the bout with a TKO in the second round. Two wins later, Giovanni will enter the ring on Friday night with a perfect record of 8-0.
Giovanni Marquez has made clear progress since making his professional debut just over two years and two weeks ago.
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“I'm not nervous,” he says. So I would say my confidence has been the biggest thing that has grown. My skills have grown along with it. My speed, my power, everything. ”
family circumstances
Giovanni has been trained by his father Raul and brother Arturo. Raul, a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic boxing team, is pleased with Giovanni's progress.
Raul Marquez's pride is evident when he talks about Giovanni's growth and maturation as a boxer over the past two years. They are also excited about the potential benefits of overtime his boxing for superior results.
“I think overtime boxing is getting a lot of attention right now,” Raul Marquez said. “It's producing big names. It's growing. They're really popular on social media. I think that's great for a promising player like Giovanni.
“They keep him busy. He's going to fight five times this year in overtime. When you want to be a fighter like Giovanni, who is 8-0, 5 KOs, the most important thing for a fighter is to keep them busy. Let it happen.”
Raul is adamant that Giovanni, 23, cannot afford to play once or twice a year at this stage of his development. Extra time will keep Marquez busy this year, and he wants to make the most of it.
