15 Years Later, Boxing’s Chris Mannix Reveals Why He Is Allowed to Say “I Hurt Juan Manuel Marquez”

Fans might have seen Chris Mannix interviewing boxers in and out of the ring over the years, but very few know he actually fought the legendary Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez 15 years ago. Of course, it wasn’t a traditional ritualistic 12-round battle, nonetheless, it was a boxing match at the end of the day. More importantly, it gave him the right to say “I Hurt Juan Manuel Marquez”.

Unbelievable, right? A sports writer got the better of an elite boxer! Well, that’s not exactly what happened—Mannix got beat up for sure, but he did something during the fight, which got him the right. While appearing in The Rich Eisen Show shared on YouTube today, Mannix divulged the entire story of what unfolded on that fateful day!

Chris Mannix has a picture to back his statement 

Speaking to Eisen, Mannix recollected the time, 15 years ago, when Marquez, a four weight division world champion, flew into New York City to box him for a story Mannix was writing on what it takes to be a boxer. What happened next? Mannix said, “He beat the bag out of me for three rounds”. However, there was one moment during the fight that Mannix takes great pride in.

What’s that? “But I do have one picture where I’m landing like a clean right hand and it’s like bouncing off his face, [he’s] kind of squinting going back. So, in that moment, I’m allowed to tell people that I hurt Juan Manuel Marquez…”, said Mannix. It, of course, was a fluke as Mannix later revealed in the interview—nonetheless, the picture acts as proof that a writer hurt Marquez.

Mannix is a boxing writer at Sports Illustrated and has worked there for several years, covering not just boxing but also NBA. And the idea to fight Marquez was an assignment from SI, as his profile there quotes him saying, “I liked all the first-person experiences, but fighting Juan was my favorite assignment for SI”. Mannix went through proper training for the three rounds affair and the ordeal seems to have introduced him to a new fear he says he never had. 

While Mannix might not have been able to do much against Marquez, his work at SI has gotten him several accolades, including 2012 Boxing Writers Association of America’s awards for Best Feature over 1,750 words and Best Feature under 1,750 words. At this point, it’s safe to say, Mannix wasn’t the greatest challenge for Marquez, but the question is, who was?

Juan Manuel Marquez fought tooth & nail for this bout

Having started his professional journey all the way back in 1993, it took Marquez ten years to win his first world title. But when he did, Marquez didn’t stop, as he would go on to win eight major titles in four different weight classes, making him among three Mexicans to win titles in four divisions. Throughout his storied career, he squared off against several formidable opponents. However, some names stood out from the others, mainly Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. 

Marquez and Pacquiao would have their legendary four fight brawl: The first came to a draw, the Mexican lost the second and third, but the fourth, Marquez, ended with a picture perfect knockout in the sixth round. So, revealing his hardest fight, he told Ring Magazine, “I believe that all my fights were important to conquer four different divisions. But if I had to choose one, I choose the last fight with Manny due to how it ended.”

Marquez ended his career in May 2014 with a final win against Mike Alvarado, but Chris Mannix remembers his stint with the Mexican boxing legend to this day. Lucky for Mannix, their match was short, otherwise, Marquez would have punished him further for landing that one good punch. What do you think? Does Mannix have the right to say he hurt Marquez?