Nishioka seeks historic boxing victory over Marquez

Toshiaki Nishioka tries to become the first Japanese fighter to defend his crown at a US venue when he risks his World Boxing Council super bantamweight title against Mexico's Rafael Marquez on Saturday. Nishioka, 38-4 with three drawn and 24 knockouts, has won 15 fights in a row, 10 of them by knockout, since last losing in 2004 to Thai legend Veeraphol Sahaprom. The Las Vegas showdown will be the seventh title defense for the 35-year-old southpaw since he took the crown from Thailand's Napapol Sor Rungvisai in 2008 at Yokohama. Nishioka makes his fifth start outside Japan and his third US appearance is his first as a world champion. "I will be the first Japanese fighter to successfully defend the world title on US soil," Nishioka told Ring magazine. "With Rafael Marquez being a big name in boxing, to have a victory over him is a big motivation for me." Nishioka also told the magazine he wants to next fight Filipino star Nonito Donaire and then possibly retire. Donaire, 26-1 with 18 knockouts, has not lost in 25 fights over more than a decade entering an October 22 World Boxing Council bantamweight title defense at New York against Argentine southpaw Omar Andres Navarez, 35-0 with two drawn and 19 knockouts. Donaire won a world crown in his third different weight class last February, taking his current crown with a second-round stoppage of Mexico's Fernando Montiel. Former world bantamweight and super bantamweight champion Marquez improved to 40-6 with 36 knockouts in July with a sixth-round stoppage of countryman Eduardo Becerril. Marquez, 36, was stopped in the eighth round last November by Puerto Rican southpaw Juan Manuel Lopez. Marquez has lost three of his past six fights, two of them in a four-fight split against countryman Israel Vazquez. Saturday's card also includes unbeaten Nicaraguan Roman Gonzalez defending his World Boxing Association junior flyweight title against Mexico's Omar Soto. Gonzalez, 29-0 with 24 knockouts, makes his US debut and the third defense of the crown he took from Mexico's Francisco Rosas last year in Tokyo. Soto, 22-7 with two drawn and 15 knockouts, lost three prior world title bouts.