LAS VEGAS — A fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez might be agreed upon by the end of this week, promoter Bob Arum told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “We are getting very close to concluding the deal,” said the Top Rank chairman, who added that contingency plans were being made to announce the mega-fight at a news conference Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Upside percentages and other details must be negotiated and finalized for the proposed Dec. 8 non-title bout at welterweight but Arum said, “We are well on the way to doing that.”
If the proposed bout is consummated, that would leave Timothy Bradley, who upset the Filipino icon via split-decision in June, without the immediate lucrative rematch he coveted.
To this point, Pacquiao’s camp had not publicly ruled out a return match against Bradley. Arum said a third rematch with Marquez, 39, is better business.
The promoter said that the last Pacquiao-Martinez fight produced nearly 1.3 million pay-per-view television buys and a gate of almost $12 million. Pacquiao-Bradley did less than 900,000 TV purchases and the gate was about $8 million.
“That’s a major difference,” Arum said.
Pacquiao,33, won two of their three previous encounters, including a disputed majority decision last November. They also fought to a draw in 2004.
