Juan Manuel Marquez claims he?s not interested in a fifth meeting with Manny Pacquiao because in his mind, there?s nothing more to prove after his knockout win last December. The disclosure comes in the wake of talks that Top Rank chairman Bob Arum is laying the groundwork for an extension of the rivalry to a quintology in September, possibly in Mexico City.
Obviously, Marquez is posturing. His credibility dropped to an all-time low after declaring his disinterest in another megabuck showdown with Pacquiao. For Marquez, it?s crazy to turn down a fifth Pacquiao date. Nobody can give him a bigger paycheck. Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn?t likely to offer a juicy purse because as his own promoter, the unbeaten braggart couldn?t be sure of a moneymaker with Marquez. Remember that in 2009, Mayweather whipped Marquez without a sweat. Would fans pay to watch another scrubbing? For the record, Marquez went down once in the second round and hardly made a dent in the three judges? scorecards which read 120-107 by Burt Clements, 119-108 by Dave Moretti and 118-109 by Bill Lerch.
Marquez, 39, insists he has a lot of big-money options other than fighting Pacquiao. Mayweather is in his list but the problem is Marquez may not figure in Money?s future. Does Marquez think a fight against former WBA welterweight champion Vyascheslav Senchenko, for instance, will sell more tickets or pay-per-view buys than a fifth appointment with Pacquiao? He?s fooling himself if he thinks so.
The reality is despite Marquez?s win over Pacquiao, he still can?t outdraw the Filipino icon. So if a fifth duel materializes, Pacquiao will continue to get the bigger share of the pie as he did in their first four outings. Marquez, of course, wants to turn the purse tables on Pacquiao. In their fourth battle, Pacquiao was guaranteed anywhere between $23 to $26 Million while Marquez settled for $6 Million. The discrepancy was as wide as the Rio de la Plata in South America but Marquez should realize his limitations in the marketing game. Pacquiao is by far the more marketable commodity and that?s why he commands the purses he earns.
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No doubt, Marquez believes he deserves at least parity with Pacquiao in case they face off again. He probably feels he should bankroll more considering his knockout win. That?s the reason he?s playing hard to get. With news of Arum negotiating a September bout in the grapevine, Marquez figured it was time to make noise. It was his way to deliver a strong message that he should be consulted on the terms of engagement, not just Pacquiao. In the end, it?s a cinch that Marquez will sign on the dotted line. Marquez is represented by Zanfer Promotions which is closely allied to Top Rank. He?ll get a much better deal from Zanfer through Top Rank than if he went with Golden Boy or Mayweather. Dean’s Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
As for the fans, they want a fifth fight particularly as Marquez was on the verge of collapse when he landed the so-called perfect punch last December. In a recent poll of 17,561 readers by The Ring Magazine as to what Pacquiao should do next, the majority went for a fifth battle with the Mexican. Here are the results—-34.6% for a fifth fight, 20.4% for a fight against Mayweather, 19.2% for retirement, 15.2% for a rematch with Timothy Bradley and 10.6% for a bout against Brandon Rios.
Paul Wheeler of Boxing News (London) commented on what effect Marquez? win could have on Pacquiao: ?The fight was close prior to the knockout when Pacquiao left himself open and got caught. The loss doesn?t signal the end for him. I wouldn?t be surprised to see a fifth clash between the pair with Pacquiao winning.?
Perhaps, the possibility of losing to Pacquiao in a vengeful fifth fight is making Marquez think twice of signing up. Marquez is aware of Pacquiao?s relentlessness and determination. Pacquiao will be driven to pay back Marquez for what he did. That scenario could be playing in Marquez?s mind like a nightmare.
Boxing News editor Tris Dixon said the loss will mean a reawakening for Pacquiao if he hopes to regain his prominence as a world champion. ?It will either finally give him a sole focus back on boxing or scar him to the extent that we won?t see the great Pacquiao as the same fighter again,? said Dixon. ?Either way, he will need change outside the ring if he wants to continue.?
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In retrospect, Marquez admitted the outcome of the fourth fight could?ve been different if he didn?t connect. ?I could have been knocked out at any time,? he said. ?(But) I also knew I could knock him out.? Pacquiao, who was floored in the third round, led on the three judges? scorecards at the time of the knockout. With just a few seconds left in the sixth round, Pacquiao backed Marquez into the ropes and prepared to unleash the coup de grace. Under ordinary circumstances, a fighter would back off at the sound of the 10-second warning clapper. But in this instance, Pacquiao moved in for the kill, sensing that Marquez, who had spat out his mouthpiece because he couldn?t breathe comfortably from his broken nose, was ready to go.
Alas, Pacquiao got careless in his eagerness to end it with a flourish. As he recoiled to throw a bomb, Marquez found an open target. An expert counterpuncher, Marquez timed his punch with precision. Bart Barry of The Ring Magazine recounted: ?Marquez, his back near the ropes and his mind?s timer calculating the bell would soon ring, set his weight, lowered his head and threw his life behind a right cross that caught Pacquiao in mid-leap. The punch sent vibrations the length of Pacquiao?s body and a halo of perspiration flying off his black hair and the Filipino congressman was unconscious before his mind sent any message to his head. Marquez, nose split, face red and bruised, mounted the far turnbuckle, vindicated and euphoric.?
Will Marquez back out of a big payday, even if smaller than Pacquiao?s, in a fifth meeting? Don?t bet on it. The fifth fight will happen sooner or later because when it comes down to brass tacks, boxing is a business and a quintology will be a box office hit for sure.
