SAN DIEGO, April 13, 2012 ? Five months ago, Juan Manuel Marquez lost his highly anticipated third fight with Manny Pacquiao in one of the closest contests of 2011. The match between two warriors with a long history and a score to settle lived up to expectations, but it left a big question to be answered.
Pacquiao squeezed out a victory by a razor-thin margin, but many including me believed Marquez won the fight. Pacquiao out punched Marquez, but Marquez landed by far the better shots.
Had Marquez won, the sport?s match-ups in the light welterweight and welterweight ranks might be a lot different. Instead, Marquez (53-6, 39 KOs, one draw) is taking on a relatively unknown fighter in the United States, the European light welterweight champion from Ukraine, Sergey Fedchenko (30-1, 13 KOs), in a pay-per-view event live from the new Arena Mexico in Mexico City. This will be Marquez? first fight back in Mexico since 1994, opening this new venue. Both fighters weighed in Friday right at the 140-pound weight limit.
Despite his losses to Pacquiao, Marquez is one of Mexico?s greatest boxers. He is admired as a warrior, a champion in three divisions with major titles at featherweight, super featherweight, and lightweight. He is an overwhelming favorite in front of a home town crowd against Fedchenko.
Fedchenko is fighting for the first time before a North American audience, and he knows he either has to win or be extremely entertaining to get another fight on our side of the Atlantic. He has a reputation for analyzing his opponents, and his nickname is ?The Professor.? Expect him to do his best to bring it, with a lot of activity and movement around the ring. Marquez is normally a counter puncher, so we will see how he responds.
Assuming Marquez wins, there is talk that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum may offer Marquez a fourth try at beating Manny Pacquiao this fall. BoxingScene.com reported that Marquez?s promoter Fernando Beltran has been talking to Pacquiao?s representatives and that things are going well.
The fans are still clamoring for a Mayweather-Pacquiao super fight, assuming both fighters win their upcoming bouts. But Mayweather must begin serving his jail sentence for domestic violence June 1. Meanwhile, there is a pay-per-view date on hold for Saturday, July 14, at Cowboys Stadium in Texas, a venue Pacquiao likes. Marquez says he won?t fight Pacquiao in Las Vegas a third time. If he can?t draw Pacquiao to the new venue in Mexico City, Texas might make a good compromise.
As quoted on ESPN.com, Arum said he doesn?t think Mayweather will be available in the fall to fight Pacquaio, and that it?s best to consider this fight next year. But he also said everything is open.
Many people would much rather have seen Marquez fight the favorite in the undercard fight, Brandon Rios, and maybe that?s the fight that will happen as a tune-up for a Pacquiao-Marquez IV bout in the fall.
There is no love lost between Brandon Rios and Richard Abril.
In the meantime, Rios will fight as the co-feature bout from Las Vegas on the Marquez-Fedchenko card. Rios was originally scheduled to fight Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa. But Gamboa didn?t show up for their news conference and eventually withdrew. Meanwhile, Miami fighter Richard Abril did show up, got in his face and challenged him to a fight.
Abril (17-2-1, 8 KOs) will get his shot, and it?s going to pay off for him. Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) has struggled to make weight and once again, he failed in two attempts to make the weight limit of 135 pounds on Friday night. He came in at 137 pounds, and on his second attempt actually weighed 139. Abril weighed in at 135.
The fight will still go on. According to ESPN.com, Rios will pay Abril a premium to fight with a weight disadvantage. Abril can win the vacant title, but Rios is no longer eligible. Rios was fined $45,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, with half to the Commission and half to Abril.
So Abril has a terrific, nothing-to-lose opportunity. He?s going to make decent money, and if he loses, it will not hurt his reputation. If he wins, he improves his stature in the weight class considerably. After Saturday, Rios will finally give up trying to fight at lightweight and move to junior welterweight for good.
In the first fight on the pay-per-view program, Filipino lightweight Mercito Gesta (24-0-1, 12 KOs) will take on Oscar Cuero (15-7, 12 KOs), also in Las Vegas.
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The bout will be televised as an HBO pay-per-view only.
