Born in Mexico City, Marquez is one of eight children whose father was an ex-pro boxer with 35 fights to his credit. Entering the gym for the first time at the age of eight, Juan and his brother, current bantamweight world champion Rafael, quickly took to the sweet science and he began fighting in amateur tournaments at 13.

After a 35-1 amateur career that included a pair of Golden Gloves tournament wins, Marquez entered the pro ranks at the age of 19 on May 29, 1993 and lost his first bout via disqualification to Javier Duran.

Marquez wouldn’t lose again for another six years as he tore through the fight scenes in Mexico and California, compiling a record of 29-1 that included a win over Agapito Sanchez and an NABO title, which he defended seven times.

This success earned him a shot at the WBA featherweight title on September 11, 1999, where Marquez would lose a controversial decision to then-unbeaten champion Freddie Norwood.

Determined to get back in the title picture, Marquez was back in the ring two months later, stopping Remigio Molina in eight rounds. Nine more wins would follow, and two fights after he stopped Robbie Peden in ten rounds for the NABF and USBA titles, ‘Dinamita’ got his second world title shot, this time against veteran Manuel Medina for the vacant IBF crown on February 1, 2003.

This time, Marquez would not be denied, and he halted Medina in seven rounds to win his first world title.

Two fights later, Marquez added the WBA strap when he won a seven round technical decision over Derrick Gainer, and on May 8th, 2004, he would face Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao in his first super fight.

And things didn’t look good for Marquez early, as he was knocked down three times in the opening round by the explosive Pacquiao. But from the second round on, the fight was all Marquez, as he put on a stirring boxing clinic. Unfortunately, his early points deficit cost him the bout and he was forced to accept a draw. But among boxing fans, his stock rose ten fold.

After successful title defenses over Orlando Salido and Victor Polo, Marquez traveled to Indonesia to take on hometown hero Chris John on March 4, 2006 and lost his title via a highly disputed 12 round decision that many thought ‘Dinamita’ had won.

Disappointed, but not discouraged, Marquez returned to the ring on August 5th and earned the interim WBO featherweight championship with a seventh round stoppage of Thailand’s Terdsak Jandaeng. On October 21st, he defended that title for the first time with an exciting ninth round knockout over the Philippines’ Jimrex Jaca.

But there was one more mountain left to climb for Marquez, and on March 17, 2007, he finally got a shot to face his fellow countryman Marco Antonio Barrera for Barrera’s WBC super featherweight title. And though the fight was competitive and exciting throughout, when it was over, there was no doubt that Marquez was the victor, as he walked away with the unanimous decision win, the belt, and finally, the mantle of superstardom he had been chasing for years.

On November 3, 2007, Marquez defended his 130-pound title for the first time with a dominating 12 round unanimous decision over former US Olympic Silver medalist Rocky Juarez.

This victory set up the rematch the world had been waiting for, the March 15, 2008 clash between Marquez and old nemesis Manny Pacquiao. Again, the two boxing superstars battled it out in a match that displayed the best the sweet science had to offer. But again, Marquez was left with a disappointing result as the judged awarded the bout to Pacquiao via a highly controversial split decision, a verdict many felt belonged to Marquez.

But Marquez is not one to dwell on past injustices. Instead, he moves forward, and on September 13th, he will look to win a world title in a third weight class when he takes on Joel Casamayor for The Ring lightweight championship.