Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum will try to inject some sense into Juan Manuel Marquez?s head when they spend dinner together on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
Arum believes there is no choice for Marquez to walk away from a verbal commitment to face Manny Pacquiao in a fifth fight sometime in September because of the sheer magnitude of such a matchup.
Although Marquez scored a sensational sixth-round knockout in the fourth fight, Pacquiao was taking charge of the action when the roof caved in on him in the dying seconds.
A few weeks ago, Marquez told the Mexican media that he is no longer interested in meeting his Filipino archrival again since he had already accomplished what he wanted the last time.
?I don?t see the point in a fifth fight,? said the 39-year-old Marquez, stressing that he is much more interested in squaring off with a young lion like Brandon Rios.
But such a bold claim was seen as a way of sending a message across: Marquez wants more money.
Arum intends to know where Marquez exactly stands in a proposed fifth clash with Pacquiao and this is the main reason why he is setting up the meeting.
Marquez only got $6 million, while Pacquiao took $23 million when they last fought.
If they agree to square off again, the numbers won?t be as lopsided as during the fourth fight since Marquez believes he now has bargaining power.
But Pacquiao?s camp might not give in that easily and will still bat for a sizeable amount.
Pretty soon, Arum will know if Marquez and Pacquiao are both on the same page.
