Holder Vazquez set for third meeting with Marquez

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Israel Vazquez defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight title against fellow Mexican Rafael Marquez on Saturday, the third meeting between the pair in 11 months.

Marquez captured the crown last March when holder Vazquez quit on his stool before the start of the eighth round due to breathing difficulties from a broken nose.

However, Vazquez bounced back five months later, recording a knockout in the sixth round of a high-quality fight widely regarded as the best of 2007.

"I miss that WBC championship belt he took from me in the last fight," Marquez, 32, told reporters in the build-up to Saturday's showdown in Carson, California.

"I want it back. I think I can control the tempo, and I did it in the first fight. I just have to keep my rhythm and throw the right kind of combinations that I have been working on."

Marquez, who successfully defended his International Boxing Federation bantamweight title seven times before moving up in weight, has a career record of 37-4 with 33 knockouts.

Vazquez, who first claimed the WBC belt in 2005 with a third-round knockout of Mexican Oscar Larios, predicts an unforgettable spectacle on Saturday.

"This fight will go down in history," the 31-year-old said. "If everyone thought the first two fights were amazing, they're in for an unforgettable performance.