ESPN Boxing

Last year's two junior featherweight championship fights between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez were explosive, memorable slugfests, with the intense rematch garnering wide recognition as 2007's fight of the year and its third frame widely recognized as round of the year.

Now, the rubber match, dubbed "Final Confrontation," is officially on. It's scheduled for March 1 and will air at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

"The first two clashes were both fight of the year candidates," promoter Gary Shaw said. "If the pattern continues this should be one for the ages. As a promoter I am proud to present this event. As a fan, March 1 cannot come fast enough."

Former bantamweight champion Marquez (37-4, 33 KOs), moving up in weight, won the 122-pound world title via seventh-round TKO in the first slugfest on March 3. Vazquez (42-4, 32 KOs) regained it with a sixth-round TKO in the Aug. 4 all-action rematch.

Few expect anything less than another fireworks display when they meet for the third time at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the site of their first clash.

"If everyone thought the first two fights were amazing, they're in for an unforgettable performance on March 1," Vazquez said this week at a Los Angeles news conference announcing the final bout in the trilogy. "When Marquez and I get together, boxing magic happens. Marquez and I have proven that we're warriors and we don't back down or take a step back. We love to fight, we live to fight.

"Our styles are the main reason why these fights are so amazing and crowd-pleasing. That's why they're so exciting. You can expect the same on March 1."

Marquez, who still believes the stoppage in the second fight was premature, hopes to repeat his performance from the first battle.

"I'm going to give the fans what they want to see," he said. "I'm sure Vazquez is bringing his best and so will I. This is a fight that everyone will remember for many years.

"Vazquez is a strong puncher. He knows how to set up his power punches. We're going to work on some things that will limit his ability to throw heavy punches. I think I miscalculated Vazquez's style in the second fight. There were some mistakes that got me in trouble. I'll make the proper adjustments in the third fight."

Showtime will replay the first two Vazquez-Marquex fights Feb. 1 and Feb. 29 on the Sho2 service at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Dan Rafael is boxing writer for ESPN.com.