By Zach Cooper
As boxing fans await the soap opera to sort itself out regarding Manny Pacquiao and his inevitable fifth meeting with encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez, other boxers have been pulled into the drama.
Brandon Rios, Timothy Bradley and Mike Alvarado also are waiting to see if that fight can be made. Their next moves are directly affected by the results. Bradley would certainly be open to fighting Manny Pacquiao again should negotiations for Pacquiao and Marquez break down. To a lesser extent, he would also be happy to take on Juan Manuel Marquez.
Alvarado and Rios are destined for their own rematch, but they may take on other fighters before that fight is made, and Pacquiao and Marquez would be preferred opponents.
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However, there is no doubt that Pacquiao would like to settle the score, again, with Marquez following the devastating knockout he suffered in December.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s longtime coach spoke with The Sweet Science recently.
“My gut instinct on what is next? I want it to be Marquez, Manny wants Marquez, but Marquez wants a lot, lot, lot of money. I think it’s a little outrageous. It may not happen. We might have to go to Mike Alvarado or Brandon Rios or a Tim Bradley rematch could be made.
I want Marquez right away, Manny and I both want it. But Marquez wants just about a 50-50 split. Manny brings butts in seats, pay-per-view-wise, Manny is the guy. Obviously Manny deserves more. I think a rematch will make a lot more money than the last fight. I think both sides can ask for more and Marquez deserves something, but not 50-50.”
At this point, Marquez says that he really isn’t even interested in fighting Pacquiao. Instead, he says he would like to face Tim Bradley.
“[Fighting Bradley] weighs more to me because he’s a great fighter, he is the champion, so logically as a fighter you always want to fight the best and Bradley is the champion and you want the championship. If I decide to continue, Bradley would be a great opponent,” Marquez told Boxing Scene.
“I do not care about a fifth fight [with Pacquiao], after what happened in the first three fights where there were controversial decisions, controversial where we had actually won and in this fourth fight we had a great victory and I would be very satisfied to let the memory of that remain, and to keep that feeling in place for myself, and also, for the Mexicans. We must go forward, pursue new goals, new directions. And for me to have had four fights with someone they had rated as the best pound for pound – and I made it clear that he is not the best pound for pound – searching for new challenges is important.”
All of this may sound a little strange. If Marquez is not interested in Pacquiao again, why is he reportedly interested in doing it for an equal split? While Marquez certainly has nothing left to prove against Pacquiao, money certainly talks. Therefore, it is likely he is using Bradley as a negotiating tool to get Manny to come around. The money is likely to great to pass up for Marquez, and Pacquiao certainly must be greatly interested in erasing the memory of his devastating knockout.
Bob Arum, speaking to Ring, said he will have a fight lined up for Manny Pacquio by the end of the week, one way or another.
“…we’ll have an opponent by the end of the week for Manny. I’m not going to negotiate in the media. They’re all my fighters, so I’ll talk to them privately, and then, we’ll come to a decision.”
Once we get the announcement regarding Pacquiao’s next fight, it is likely the rest of the fighters mentioned will quickly find their next opponents as well.
