Juan Manuel Marquez is bluffing when he said that he is no longer interested to face long-time foe Manny Pacquiao for a fifth time following his stunning knockout win over the Filipino boxing star last year This is what majority of the respondents said in a survey conducted by Philstar.com on the possibility of Marquez facing Pacquiao again for the fifth time. In the online survey result as of 6:30 a.m. Thursday, 54 percent of 2,634 respondents who participated in the poll said Marquez is just bluffing in hopes of getting a higher salary. Twenty five (25%) percent of those who responded to the poll said they don’t care or they are no longer interested in a fifth fight while eighteen (18%) percent said Marquez is indeed no longer interested. Three (3%) percent said they’re not sure because anything can happen. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is exploring the possibility of a fifth showdown between Pacquiao and Marquez in response to the overwhelming desire of boxing fans around the world. Pacquiao lost to Marquez via knockout seconds before the end of the sixth round in their fourth encounter last Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao and Marquez fought for the first time in 2004 which ended in a draw, only because one of the judges made a mistake in scoring, otherwise it was clearly a win for Pacquiao. In 2008, Pacquiao earned a split decision win over Marquez which was highlighted by a knockdown in the third round. Marquez protested, saying he was robbed of his victory. In 2011, Pacquiao and Marquez fought for a third time at a catch weight of 144 pounds in which Marquez lost again via majority decision. Marquez protested, claiming he was again robbed of his victory for a third time. Arum has invited both Marquez and Pacquiao to join him in Macau on April 6 for the professional debut of China’s amateur boxing superstar Zou Shiming, who has recently signed up with Top Rank Promotions. Marquez has indicated he is attending while Pacquiao said he is busy in his election campaign in the Philippines where he is running unopposed for reelection as congressman of Sarangani. His lovely wife, Jinkee, is running for vice-governor of the province while his brother is also running for an elective post. Earlier, Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal said he doesn’t care if Marquez declines a fifth fight saying there are other capable opponents who are interested to fight him. ?If (we cannot get a fight with) Marquez, then we?ll look for a better opponent,? lawyer Franklin Gacal, Pacquiao?s legal adviser, told the Inquirer early last month. Meanwhile Arum said, he is looking at other fight venues outside the US for Top Rank’s upcoming fights. Among the possible venues aside from China are Singapore, Mexico and Dubai.
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