Giovanni Marquez enjoys the perks of a ‘home game.’ That does not mean he takes these types of fights less seriously than others.

Marquez also hopes to continue down a path towards contender status with his father along the way.

The unbeaten Marquez will face Jason Limon on Friday night at the Red Owl Boxing Arena in Marquez’s hometown of Houston, Texas. The eight-round bout, which will be fought at a maximum catchweight of 142 pounds, will precede two quarterfinal fights of The OTX Tournament, an eight-fighter junior middleweight tournament that has already had two fights decided in April.

All three fights will stream live on DAZN (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

Marquez (9-0, 5 knockouts) has faced modest opposition, thus far, early on in his career. In his last bout on March 29, Marquez defeated former fringe featherweight and junior lightweight contender Jayson Velez by unanimous decision. In his previous fight on December 1, Marquez defeated Joshua David Rivera by decision over six one-sided rounds.

Standing across from Marquez tomorrow will be Limon (8-1-1, 2 KOs), who has won his last four fights since suffering his only loss as a pro in October 2022. Friday will mark Marquez’s seventh time fighting in or around Houston, and while he enjoys the perks of fighting in his hometown, he will be at his best.

“A lot of motivation going into this fight,” Marquez told The Ring Tuesday. “There’s a lot of motivation, being that I have a lot of family and friends who will be at the fight. I have to put on a great fight. Of course, OTX will be in my hometown. So that’s more motivation in itself.

“My opponent has a solid record. This is going to be a fun match-up of Houston versus San Antonio (where Limon is from). There’s a lot of excitement and, again, more motivation.

“I had a learning experience from my last fight (against Velez). There’s always room for improvement. I had to be more patient. This fight (against Limon) is an eight-rounder, so I have to use my jab more and use distance. I was reckless, at times, in my last fight. I have to be relaxed and stay focused. True professionals do that.”

Marquez has mostly trained in the Houston area, except for a three-week period in Las Vegas, where he was sparring WBC lightweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson.

The 23-year-old Marquez is trained by his father Raul, the former world junior middleweight titleholder and 1992 United States Olympian Raul Marquez, who used to provide color commentary for Showtime programming and now does it for DAZN.

At a time where father-son relationships rarely work in boxing, particularly with trainer and boxer dynamics, Marquez is grateful to have his father be his trainer. He also stated that it has brought the two closer, in and out of the ring.

“I’m truly blessed to have my dad in my corner,” said Marquez, who is managed by David McWater. “He’s a former Olympian and a great champion. He understands every aspect of the (boxing) business as a trainer and a former fighter. One thing about my father is he’s open-minded. I hear him out and he hears me out.

“I think I have more confidence because when he tells me something, I listen, I put it to work, and then I see the result. We do talk a little bit about boxing outside the gym, but it’s more about other fights or about his commentary on fights he called for Showtime and now DAZN. I’ve come to realize that there will always be boxing in our family. There’s no getting around it. That’s our life. That is our father-son dynamic.”

Marquez is hoping to accomplish a great deal this year. He hopes to come out victorious and to assert himself more as a prospect with a dominant win Friday night. He hopes to stay active and is ready for anything that will come his way later this year.

“My short-term goal is to come out with a win on (Friday). I hope to have another eight-round fight later this year, but I’m open to whatever opportunity comes my way. I’ll take those opportunities.

“I’m 23 and I am ready for anything.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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