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Former World Boxing Federation
(WBF) World Super Middleweight
Champion Marco Antonio
“El Veneno” Rubio can
look back at a very good career,
where he fought some of the best
and biggest names the sport had
to offer in his era.
Born on June 16, 1980 in Gomez
Palacio, a city in Mexican state
Durango, he had not yet turned
twenty when he made his
professional debut in May of
2000, defeating fellow
first-timer Alberto Juarez by
decision over four rounds in
Monterrey.
Rubio also won his next five,
all by stoppage, before
colliding with another
undefeated Mexican prospect in
Saul “La Fiera” Roman (8-0), who
handed him his first defeat by
second round technical knockout
on June 1, 2001.
He didn't let the defeat
discourage him too much, as he
was back in the ring six weeks
later, stopping Ismael Diaz
(6-12-2) to start another
five-fight winning run before
drawing with Dominican Julio
Cesar De La Cruz (14-3), in
March of 2002.
The draw with De La Cruz could
be considered his best result up
to that point, but in his very
next bout, on May 17, 2002, he
would top that by stopping very
experienced former WBC World
Welterweight Champion Jorge Vaca
(65-24-2) in the fourth round.
The Vaca-triumph established
Rubio as a genuine prospect, and
during the following year he
would put a thick line under
that by winning the Mexican
national Super Welterweight
title and defending it five
times, including a decisive (TKO
4) rematch victory over his sole
conqueror Saul Roman (now 11-1).
In June of 2003 Runio was
matched with very capable Calvin
Odom (13-4), who had won seven
of his last eight outings and
was considered a real test for
the Mexican. But Rubio made
light work of the American,
scoring a first round stoppage
in his birth city.
For his next step up the ladder,
Rubio was paired with undefeated
Nicaraguan Jose Varela (16-0) on
the first day of August, 2003.
On the line was the vacant WBC
International Super Welterweight
title, and Rubio proved
devastating again, scoring a
second round knockout.
Two months on, he traveled to
Russia where he annihilated
local man Akhmed Oligov (12-3)
in the first round of a WBC
title-defense, before returning
to Mexico for another first
round destruction of compatriot
Christian Solano (17-3-3) only
five weeks later.
In May of 2004, Rubio solidified
himself as a top contender,
when, only seventeen days apart,
neither Alfred Ankamah (20-10),
nor former WBF World Champion
Fitz
Vanderpool
(24-5-4) made it through
the first three minutes with
him.
Jeffrey Hill (24-5) went seven
rounds before Rubio caught up
with him in August of 2004, but
“El Veneno” looked more than
ready to challenge for a world
championship at 27-1-1 (24),
with twelve of his opponents
failing to see the second round.
Unfortunately for Rubio, he was
too dangerous a foe for a
champion to grant him a
voluntary title-shot, so six
weeks after beating Hill he
returned to the ring in a world
title eliminator, on the
undercard of Julio Cesar Chavez
vs. Fankie Randall at MGM Grand
in Las Vegas.
By far his biggest fight to
date, and aired live on HBO
Pay-Per-View in America, Rubio
squared off with Ghanaian Kofi
Jantuah (27-1), and it all came
tumbling down for him. Jantuah
landed a vicious left hook clean
on the chin, knocking Rubio out
cold only 33 seconds into the
fight.
On the biggest stage, and so
close to a crack at world
honors, it was hard to imagine a
worse scenario for Rubio. He
hardly landed a punch, or broke
a sweat, and before he had a
chance to get started it was
quickly “back in line”.
But Rubio was willing to work
his way back to the front of
that line, and in 2005 he scored
six victories, all inside the
distance, most notably getting
rid of the aforementioned former
world champion Frankie Randall
(58-15-1) and unbeaten David
Turibio (12-0), both inside two
rounds.
He also beat contender Juan
Carlos Candelo (26-7-3) on a
rare ten-round decision, and
respected trial-horse Grady
Brewer (18-10), so he was deemed
ready for another make-or-break
encounter against Russian
Aslanbek Kodzoev (17-1-1) in
late January, 2006.
Headlining a show promoted by
Golden Boy Promotions at the
Cicero Stadium in Illinois,
Rubio was declared the winner
when Kodzoev didn't come out for
round eight, claiming a
rib-injury, putting him in line
for another world title
eliminator.
On May 6, 2006, on the undercard
of Oscar De La Hoya vs. Richardo
Mayorga, back on HBO
Pay-Per-Viev, Rubio took on
former IBF World Champion Kassim
Ouma (23-2-1). It appeared to be
Rubio´s night when he floored
the Ugandan with a series of
right hands in the first round,
but Ouma had other ideas.
Not a stranger to adversity,
inside or outside the ring, he
beat the count and worked
himself back into the fight. It
turned into an even affair, and
after twelve rounds two of the
judges scored it for Ouma,
making him the winner by split
decision.
Perhaps a little too eager to
rebound from the defeat, Rubio
agreed to go to Ukraine for a
bout against another contender
in Zaurbek Baysangurov (14-0)
three months later, knowing a
victory would put him back where
he were before the Ouma fight.
Again he scored a knock-down in
the first round, but
Baysangurov, who went on to win
the European title as well as
IBO and WBO world titles, wasn't
seriously hurt and came back to
control the fight and win by
unanimous decision.
Rubio decided it was time to
move up in weight, and eight
straight Middleweight victories
put him in line for his third
world title eliminator in
October of 2008, this time
against Enrique Ornelas (28-4)
at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic
City.
It was a close encounter, with
Rubio the aggressor and Ornelas
the counter-puncher for much of
the bout, but Rubio finished
strong and almost scored a
stoppage in round eleven. After
a big final round, Rubio got the
split decision verdict, and a
crack at WBC/WBO World
Middleweight Champion Kelly
Pavlik (34-1) next.
Having finally secured a world
championship fight, almost nine
years after his debut, it would
not be long before Rubio went
back into training-camp as the
Pavlik fight was scheduled for
February 21, 2009 at the
Chevrolet Centre in the
champions home-town of
Youngstown.
Rubio fought his chance against
Pavlik, having some success, but
the American was on top of his
game and stunned the challenger
several times. As the rounds
went on, Pavlik started to take
over and administered enough
punishment on Rubio to force his
corner to retire their fighter
before the start of the tenth
round.
There was no shame in losing to
Pavlik, who´s only defeat had
come against all-time great
Bernard Hopkins, and Rubio had
plenty more to offer the boxing
world.
Between October 2009 and January
2011, he rebuild himself with
victories over Jose Berrio
(20-2), Rigoberto Alvarez
(24-1), the brother of Canelo,
Jaison Palomeque (13-2-1),
Samuel Miller (20-3), Jose Luis
Zertuche (21-6-3), and Wilson
Santana (11-0).
That string of victories earned
him another world title
eliminator, but not many
expected him to have much of a
chance against Canadian
destroyer David Lemieux (25-0),
who had only gone the distance
once, on April 8, 2011 at the
Bell Centre in Montreal.
But the 8/1 underdog took
everything Lemieux dished out,
weathered a few storms, and
caused a major upset when he
floored the crowd-favorite in
round seven before forcing the
Canadian corner to throw in the
towel.
With his second world title
opportunity in the bag, Rubio
stayed busy with victories over
Ricardo Ramallo (8-1), Mohammed
Akrong (13-3) and Matt Vanda
(44-13), before challenging for
the WBC World Middleweight
title, now held by Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. (44-0-1), in February
of 2012.
After a competitive fight,
Chavez won by unanimous decision
(115-113, 116-112, 118-110) in
front of a large crowd at the
Alomodome in San Antonio, Texas,
not far from the Mexican border.
Rubio again proved he belonged,
but he just couldn't take the
final step. Yet!
Not one to look for an easy
route, Rubio quickly got himself
back in the world rankings when
he stopped undefeated Jorge Cota
(16-0) for the IBF International
Middleweight title on June 30,
2012. But it would be at Super
Middleweight he received his
third opportunity to become
world champion.
After twelve years in the paid
ranks, Rubio made the most of it
when he stopped former WBC and
IBA World Champion Carlos Manuel
Baldomir (49-14-6) from
Argentina to win the vacant
World Boxing Federation (WBF)
World Super Middleweight title
on September 8, 2012 in Celaya,
Mexico.
The following December, Rubio
successfully defended his WBF
world title when he stopped
Michel Rosales (32-5) in round
eleven. He then decided he
wanted to go back to
Middleweight, where big money
fights against the likes of
Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy
Golovkin were possibilities.
After two routine victories over
Marcus Upshaw (15-8-2) and
Dionisio Miranda (22-8-2), he
won the Interim WBC World
Middleweight title when he
knocked out Italian Domenico
Spada (38-4) in April of 2014.
That win set up a unification
clash with WBA/IBO champion
Golovkin (30-0), who stopped
Rubio in the second round.
Rubio last fought in September
of 2015, losing on points to
former WBC World Super
Middleweight Champion Anthony
Dirrell (27-1-1).
With several regional titles,
WBF and WBC world titles, major
fights and major victories,
Marco Antonio Rubio can be proud
of his accomplishments over
fifteen years. His final record
stands at 59-8-1 (51).
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