LOS ANGELES ? Juan Manuel Marquez has accepted the revised offer sheet that Top Rank forwarded to him, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said on Tuesday, a development that could very well pave the way for a planned Nov. 12 face-off against Manny Pacquiao.
Arum had earlier sent Marquez a proposal that the Mexican turned down and the Top Rank chief immediately came up with a new one that the boxer accepted.
?Everything was done the right way,? said Arum from the Las Vegas headquarters of Top Rank, referring to the manner by which Top Rank conducted its business with Marquez.
Arum said the proposal he sent to Marquez is a copycat of the one that Shane Mosley approved for his last week?s fight with Pacquiao at the MGM Grand.
?I just hope that the Marquez fight would be better than Mosley?s,? said the 79-year-old Arum.
Although Marquez has given his thumbs up sign to the Top Rank offer, that?s just then first step because Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) has the right to match it since it still has promotional rights over the 37-year-old counter-puncher.
If GBP fails to match Top Rank?s offer to Marquez by next week, Arum said he will make a formal announcement of the fight, the third time Pacquiao and Marquez are going to slug it out following the controversial ending of their first two matches.
Pacquiao sent Marquez down thrice in the first round in their initial encounter but Marquez clawed back hard to salvage a 12-round draw in May 2004. In the rematch in March 2008, Pacquiao escaped with a 12-round split draw.
Arum had initially been told that the Pacquiao-Marquez rubber match can?t be staged on Nov. 5 because the legendary rock band The Eagles have already reserved the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a concert.
But Arum said The Eagles? manager, Irving Azoff, is a dear friend and when he told him about his desire to put Pacquiao-Marquez III on Nov. 12 instead of Nov. 5, Azoff assured him they can switch places.
PAY-PER-VIEW
Meantime, Arum said the pay-per-view numbers for last weekend’s fight between Pacquiao and Mosley will be known next week but the Top Rank big boss said on Tuesday that the figures will surpass the 1.25 million buys that
Pacquiao posted when he fought and mauled Oscar De La Hoya in Dec. 2008.
“It’ll be the biggest Manny Pacquiao fight in terms of pay-per-view sales,” said Arum.
Should Arum’s statements prove prophetic, Pacquiao stands to make another killing, since he is already entitled to a share in the pay-per-view and live gate aside from the guaranteed $20 million purse.
