On Monday evening, Michael Koncz, advisor to eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao, made an appearance on ?ATG (All-Time Great) Radio?, where he fielded questions from myself and other boxing personalities about the latest news surrounding his fighter.
Pacquiao is set for a December 8th bout with his friendly rival Juan Manuel Marquez, a contest that will serve as the fourth encounter between the two men when they lock horns inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Finding Pacquiao?s next foe was a trying exercise, as the originally proposed date of November 10th was later shifted a month back because of a delay in the selection process. Koncz pointed out that Marquez was the only available adversary available at the moment who would create for the kind of high drama that makes boxing so unique.
Video: Manny Pacquiao’s advisor Michael Koncz makes an appearance on ATG Radio (9-24-2012)
?This was the only fight, other than Floyd Mayweather, that?s available to make it entertaining for the fans,? Koncz clarified to my colleague Chris Gunzz. ?We could have easily taken a [Timothy] Bradley rematch but that?s certainly not going to be entertaining. And that?s Manny?s primary goal, is to entertain his fans. And?s that?s why we chose Marquez.?
Bradley defeated Pacquiao via a highly-controversial split-decision in June and he, along with three-division champion Miguel Cotto, was also in the mix as possible opponents for Manny. Koncz admitted that a rematch with Cotto, who Pacquiao beat in November of 2009, made sense but they simply couldn?t finalize things at the negotiating table as Miguel later announced he would be meeting WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout on December 1st at Madison Square Garden in New York.
?Actually, that?s a good question, because, when the three names were presented to us; Cotto, Marquez, and Bradley, the first choice that Manny wanted was Miguel Cotto,? Koncz stated. ?And we had some negotiations with Miguel?s camp but he chose another direction. I can?t blame him for what he?s doing. There was no catch weight involved, and we thought that would be an entertaining fight. Unfortunately Miguel had another idea and I wish him well on his December 1st fight.?
The first three fights between Pacquiao and Marquez were riveting and chalked full of drama. And although Pacquiao technically holds a 2-0-1 record against Marquez, you can make a legitimate case that the Mexico City stalwart won every match despite never officially snatching a victory.
Koncz knows all too well what this rivalry means to each combatant and he expects to see a different kind of approach from both fighters come December.
?Neither of these fighters want to have number five, so I believe that both of the guys, Manny and Marquez, are going to change their strategy and there?s going to be a lot more aggression in here, because they both want to put an end to this trilogy and I strongly believe somebody is going to knock somebody out,? Koncz claimed.
Stay tuned in the coming days for more on Koncz?
