THE MANAGER of WBA and IBF featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez has threatened to pull out of talks regarding the megafight against Filipino Manny Pacquiao on Feb. 26 if and when Marquez is not given a fair share of the purses.
Ignacio Beristain, the man credited for Marquez’s continued rise to superstardom, has warned that the much anticipated rematch will never materialize “unless Top Rank starts to get a lot more realistic about the purse money on offer,” said a report by James Blears over at the Boxingscene website.
Beristain made these statements during a rigorous workout by Marquez at the Gilberto Roman Gym in Mexico City. Reportedly, Marquez has been training since November and even kept a spartan lifestyle during Christmas Day, training and working out at the gym while people enjoyed the festivities.
“There are a lot of difficulties, not just a few in the negotiations for Juan Manuel’s purse,” said Beristain. “Bob Arum’s son (Todd Du Boef) and Fernando Beltran are proving a bit difficult. I hope that by mid-January, we should have a deal concluded but if not I don’t think there’s going to be a fight.”
The manager explained that the contentious point lies not with Du Boef who he has yet to meet, but Fernando Beltran who he claims is offering “a ridiculous amount. Half as much as my fighter wants,” said Beristain. “We want more because Juan Manuel is the champion. I consider this to be an abuse. We want money not peanuts.”
“We want a minimum of 1.5 million dollars, and they’re offering about half of that,” Beristain cited, when asked what was being put on the table.
“We want this fight to go ahead. Juan has been working exceptionally hard in the preparation. And we want to show the fans Juan’s class as a fighter, in order to gain access to better
