HOLLYWOOD ? Top Rank is looking at a third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
A few days ago, Top Rank sent a formal offer to Golden Boy Promotions regarding the fight that could take place in October, and granting that Pacquiao beats Shane Mosley on May 7.
Marquez? contract with GBP has expired but the promotional firm under Oscar dela Hoya owns the right to match any offer for the Mexican warrior, according to a report on RingTV.com.
?Last Friday, April 22, Top Rank made a firm offer to Juan Manuel Marquez to fight Manny Pacquiao in October for his WBO 147-pound belt,? ESPN.com quoted Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer as saying.
?Part of the deal includes a rematch provision in case Marquez would win. So Pacquiao could potentially be tied up for quite a while,? it added.
There are no details yet regarding the offer but it should be one that will be very hard to refuse for Marquez, who has been itching for a third fight with Pacquiao.
Marquez and Pacquiao have fought twice, and on both occasions the results were contested, a controversial draw in 2004 and a narrow decision for the Filipino in 2008.
Marquez feels he won both fights, and even went to the Philippines to challenge Pacquiao to a third fight. Now he might get it as long as the promoters agree on the terms.
Pacquiao has won his last 13 fights, and is once again favored to win over Mosley. The last time he came close to defeat was in the hands of Marquez, the great counterpuncher.
Marquez said recently he?d fight Pacquiao for the latter?s WBO welterweight crown but at a catchweight of 143 lb.
Marquez fought Floyd Mayweather at 147 lb last year and fared miserably, prompting experts to think that there?s no way he could ever get a third match with Pacquiao, now a welterweight.
Bob Arum, the chief of Top Rank, also said recently that Marquez is no longer fit to fight Pacquiao at the higher division because his fights at over 135 were not worth looking.
But at a catchweight, it might just happen.
According to the report, Marquez was also offered a rematch in case he beats Pacquiao in the third fight.
Pacquiao?s trainer, Freddie Roach, said he likes a third fight with Marquez because he wants Pacquiao to ?silence him for good.?
If you ask Roach, there?s no need for a rematch clause in the latest Top Rank offer.
?We will knock him out this time,? Roach said.
