Versatility has always been Raul Marquez’s advantage.

A gifted left-handed ring technician who earned a spot at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Marquez could also transform into a pressure fighter when the situation called for it and was no stranger to bloody brawls (even if almost all of that blood was his own).

A bilingual presenter, “El Diamante” broke through on both HBO and Showtime, as well as other international networks and channels, enjoying particular popularity because he could play the role of the former champion’s analyst in both English and Spanish, depending on the need.

And in 2024, Marquez’s versatility was needed more than ever. Since Showtime ended boxing overdue last year, and with it his most stable, reliable job, Marquez has been in full work mode, loving saying yes to opportunities and adding dashes and slashes to the list of job descriptions that could appear before his name.

“It’s all about cashing checks,” Marquez told Boxing Scene. “You cash checks wherever you can, and it all adds up.”

Marquez, now 52, ​​is a television host (for multiple stations), gym owner, head trainer, real estate owner, advertising executive, husband and father of five.

“I’m not afraid of work,” he explained. “No matter what, work doesn’t bother me.”

It’s been a tough year for nearly everyone who’s been employed by Showtime Sports. Marquez’s situation is not unique in that regard; his fellow broadcasters, PR team, production team, management team and other front office staff have all spent 2024 in similar circumstances. And of course, there are plenty of athletes who were Showtime regulars who haven’t been as lively this year as they would have liked.

Some of Showtime’s former employees have joined Amazon Prime, and Marquez spent the first few months of 2024 hoping to get that connection. Not those who get the call were booked — there were only three such events through August this year. But Marquez, who admits he skipped one show while he waited to hear from PBC, wasn’t done offering phone fights to Amazon.

“Listen, after what happened last year, I knew it was going to be a tough year,” Marquez said. “The beginning of the year, not knowing what was going to happen, no doubt, was super stressful. But I managed to stay busy.”

Fight fans continued to see Marquez on their TV screens (or other streaming devices) as he commentated on DAZN fights for promoter Dmitry Salita’s “Large Time Boxing USA” cards — alongside his former Showtime colleague Al Bernstein. Salita approached Marquez about working on a Showtime event in overdue 2023 when Paramount’s decision to shut down Showtime Sports was announced, so El Diamante knew he’d be landing at least one commentary gig in 2024.

He quickly chose another while commenting on the streaming fights Team Fight League. He also worked one card that aired on ESPN+, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez’s win over Robert Barrera in July. And Marquez is hoping for another opportunity behind the mic, which he got a call about last week. He wouldn’t go into details, other than to say that “it’s a massive name” and “it could be massive.” He’s also in talks to work on weigh-ins for PBC/Amazon events with a few antique friends at Showtime.

While Marquez awaits further word on the matter and occasionally competes in DAZN fights, his main priority in making money in his hometown of Houston is his Raul Marquez Boxing Fitness gym in Humble, Texas.

“When I was making money for Showtime, the gym was more of a hobby for me,” he said. “I was only opening classes three times a week, and I was also doing private lessons. It was just extra money. But now I’m expanding it. I’m working more hours, teaching more classes, and Giovanni is working with me.”

That would be Raul’s son, 23-year-old Giovanni Marquez, a junior welterweight with a professional record of 10-0 (5 KOs). The second-generation boxer last fought in May and is expected to return to the ring on Oct. 4, with his father in his corner as his primary trainer. Trying to mold Giovanni into champion material is an understandable priority in Raul’s career and life.

On top of that, Marquez makes extra money doing his best Rocky Balboa by promoting Beast Aftershave. Cavender Grande Ford brings Marquez to San Antonio every month, and he throws his antique championship belt over his shoulder and cuts car sales ads for a few hours.

He also owns several rental properties and plans to add one more. “I’m not trying to buy 10 properties or anything, but I’m looking for at least one more,” he said. “Every investment is risky, so I’m trying to be clever.”

And here is the most crucial thing about Marquez gig: being a dad. Giovanni and his two older brothers don’t necessarily need Raul to guide them through the world every day, but El Diamante started over in the 2010s with his wife Jeannette and youthful children Liam and Alina — and spent a lot of time this summer taking 7-year-old Liam to tee-ball tournaments.

Hey, it has to be admitted that Marquez leans towards the sport where you hit the ball off the tee and no one fires it back at you.

Life as a father and working in the gig economy have kept Marquez busy, and while this year has brought its own challenges, the artist insists no one has to worry about him.

“Thank God I’m doing pretty well financially, and whatever I made on Showtime, I didn’t blow it,” he said. “I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to blow all my money, you know? I live in a nice neighborhood, but it’s nothing crazy. I have nice cars, but I don’t drive Lamborghinis. I don’t live that kind of life.”

There’s certainly a contrast between the way Marquez lives his life in his early 50s and the way his antique Olympic roommate lives it. Thirty-two years ago, Marquez was bunking in the Olympic Village with the only gold medalist on the 1992 U.S. boxing team, Oscar De La Hoya — a man who briefly became the talk of boxing’s social media last weekend when a video of him dancing in a G-string surfaced online. (The less said about that, the better, probably.)

Marquez was an intriguing sight to behold last year when the HBO documentary “The Golden Boy” was released, largely a portrait of De La Hoya, a Hall of Fame fighter and successful promoter who has publicly struggled with demons and addiction.

“Oh my,” Marquez said when asked what he thought of the documentary. He paused, searching for what he wanted to say. “I thought… I’ll put it this way: He should never have made that documentary. He should never have made it. I don’t think it did him any good. I’ll leave it at that.”

Marquez and De La Hoya are no longer in touch.

“He was my buddy, man,” Marquez recalled. “When we were amateurs, when we were traveling the world together, when they saw Oscar, they saw me, and when they saw me, they saw Oscar. I don’t know what happened. You know, in my professional career, I challenged him. I challenged him, I wanted to fight him — why wouldn’t I? He was the money guy, everybody wanted to fight him. But I challenged him, and I don’t know if maybe he took it personally.”

Marquez was not interviewed for the documentary. “I should have been there. They left out all the great stories we had — with women in Italy, women in Australia, all over the world.”

But Marquez — again, a conscientious father of youthful children these days — wasn’t forthcoming about any of those stories in this interview. “We had a great time, man. We were youthful, we were single, we were living life, and that’s all I’m going to say.”

A lot has changed since then—for several 1992 Olympians who became former competitors, and for Olympic boxing in general. And in the case of the latter, the change hasn’t been for the better, according to Marquez. The 2024 Games just ended in Paris, and Marquez wasn’t the least bit interested in them.

“If a top amateur asked me now, ‘Should I wait until the next Olympics?’ I would advise them not to,” Marquez said. “Amateur experience is very crucial. I have always emphasized amateur experience. The amateur system will always be in my heart, and before you become a professional, you should gain that amateur experience. But when you feel you are ready to become a professional, then become a professional. Waiting for four whole years just to to see if you can get to the Olympics? I don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t even know if a gold medal means what it used to.”

Marquez parlayed his Olympic experience into a solid 16-year professional career — a 41-4-1 (29 KO) record, a 20-month reign at junior middleweight and high-profile fights with the likes of Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas and Jermain Taylor — and parlayed it into a steady commentary career that included 12 years on Showtime, 12 years he looks back on fondly.

“I had a great time working with Showtime,” he said. “It was like a family and I learned a lot working with that group. Honestly, we were spoiled working at Showtime.

“But maybe things happen for a reason. We’ll just have to see what happens next.”