For the last 22 months, future Hall of Famer Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KO) has been in limbo about his future in boxing.
Will Marquez retire?
… Or will the 42 year old legend face the freakishly-skilled Terence Crawford?
According to Top Rank, Marquez, who is rehabilitating his knee, plans top have a tune-up this summer. After that, company CEO Bob Arum hinted a possible showdown between JMM and Terence Crawford might take place at the end of the year.
Of course, Crawford must first defeat Hank Lundy on Saturday. ?Marquez wants to fight in the summer in Mexico City,? Arum told BoxingScene. ?He says his knee is fine. If he comes through in that fight, we?ll match him in a real marquee fight. Maybe against a guy like Terence Crawford, assuming Crawford?s victorious.?
So, what about the rumors about Juan Manuel Marquez facing Miguel Cotto?
?Marquez is more of a junior welterweight. The idea of him fighting Cotto doesn?t make any sense. He?s too big,” Arum added.
Last March, Nacho Beristain, Marquez’s trainer, wasn’t very enthusiastic about his pupil’s future. Perhaps things have changed?
“If we get to pick somebody, it could be the English guy [Kell Brook] that just got the title [Kell Brook],” stated world-class trainer Nacho Beristain.
“But we don’t want for Juan Manuel to lose all that credibility and [respect for] the great job he’s done all of his career and just… throw it in the garbage can with just one fight.”
But some would surmise Terence Crawford is an even tougher assignment than ‘the English guy.’
Should Marquez vs Crawford come to fruition, JMM deserves credit for facing a young, sensational opponent who is arguably a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter who will surely test him.
Next fight plans for Marquez have become quite a saga for Marquez. In addition to Terence Crawford, rumored opponents have included but are not limited to Manny Pacquiao, Tim Bradley, Ruslan Provodnikov, Miguel Cotto and Kell Brook.
In May 2014, Juan Manuel Marquez survived a few tense moments to soundly defeat Mike Alvarado (then 34-3, 23 KOs) via a unanimous decision in an entertaining scrap. With the dominant victory, perhaps one of JMM’s most impressive, Marquez became the mandatory challenger for then WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao but didn’t enforce his status.
Terence Crawford stats & facts Record: 27-0, 19 KO Born: 1987-09-28 (Age:28) Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska, USA Stance: Orthodox Height: 5′ 8″ / 173cm Reach: 70″ / 178cm Division Jr Welterweight BoxRec Rank: 1
