LAS VEGAS ? It’s almost certain that the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez trilogy is going to happen.
?There’s a big possibility, 80 percent, that Marquez is going to be my next opponent,? Pacquiao announced during Wednesday’s press conference at the Hollywood Theater of the MGM Grand here for his welterweight title defense against Shane Mosley Saturday.
As to what weight class, Pacquiao doesn’t know yet.
The 36-year-old Marquez, the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association lightweight titlist, is best remembered for giving Pacquiao two of his toughest and closest fights ever.
In 2004, Marquez shrugged off three first-round knockdowns to salvage a draw. As it turned out later, Pacquiao should have won the bout by one point following the admission of one of the referees that he erred in scoring round one, putting it at 10-7 instead of a 10-6 for Pacquiao.
They met again in 2008, with Marquez again falling in the third round only to recover and lose by split decision.
Since then, Marquez has his radar on Pacquiao, who then moved up several weight classes and cemented his status as the world’s top boxer by claiming an unprecedented eighth crown.
Marquez tried to trace Pacquiao’s path, challenging Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a catch weight of 144 pounds only to lose in lopsided fashion.
A few weeks back, it leaked that Top Rank, Pacquiao?s promoter, has offered Marquez a lucrative third crack at the pound-for-pound king.
Having learned his lesson, Marquez may opt for the fight to happen at below 147 pounds.
The Mexican warrior has also been offered by Golden Boy Promotions, which has the option to match any fight contract that comes his way up to February next year, to tangle with Saul Alvarez in the fall.
