WHY TAKE a risk against somebody like Manny Pacquiao when you can lessen the chances of being mauled by going up with someone like Juan Manuel Marquez for the same amount of money?
This was the opinion of a key member of Team Pacquiao following reports that the World Boxing Council has already given its blessings to the March 17 duel between defending 130-lb titleholder Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.
“At this point in time, Barrera no longer wishes to square off with Manny Pacquiao for the simple reason that he’d be earning the same amount of money or even more by fighting a lesser opponent like Marquez,’’ said the Pacquiao insider.
Since Marquez won’t be guaranteed $ 5 million against Barrera in their scheduled 12-rounder at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Barrera will be able to maximize his earning potential by agreeing to deal with Marquez since the lion’s share of the overall budget won’t go to Pacquiao and Golden Boy Promotions can channel some of the money to Barrera.
WBC president Jose Sulaiman yesterday gave the green light for the Barrera-Marquez bout owing to the legal problems being faced by Pacquiao in relation with the tug-of-war involving GBP and Bob Arum’s Top Rank.
Barrera announced last year that he plans to fight twice this year before finally hanging up his gloves and the Mexican legend is hoping that one of those two fights would be against Pacquiao, who dealt him a devastating 11th-round knockout in Nov. 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.
In May 2004, Marquez picked himself up from the floor thrice in the first round en route to a savage 12-round draw with Pacquiao.
Sulaiman also bared that a day after the Barrera-Marquez showdown, assuming Barrera retains the championship, the camps of the Mexican and Pacquiao can start negotiations for the fight.
If the two parties fail to reach an agreement, a purse bid will be staged by the WBC so the fight, which is going to be a knockout at the box-office, could be put together.
Pacquiao, meantime, is set to fight on April 28 in Macau against a yet to be named opponent under Top Rank, which has given Pacquiao a list of nine fighters to choose from most of whom Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach doesn’t even know.
Still, Roach said he will concentrate on his role as strategist for Pacquiao regardless of who he fights for.
