While there’s no doubt that the battle between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still the best fight to make out there, a fifth showdown between the Pacman and his arch nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez would be a perfect alternate should negotiation for the mega-fight collapse once again.
Pacquiao, who is coming off a 12-round dismantling of Chris Algieri to retain the WBO Welterweight championship last Sunday at Venetian Macao in Macau, China, has vocally expressed his intention to fight pound-for-pound next year.
According to Top-Rank head promoter Bob Arum, it’s about time for Pacquiao and Mayweather to meet inside the squared circle to determine the best boxer in this generation. And based on estimates, the financial boon for the fight to take place is greater than ever with Arum’s camp targeting as much as $1billion in earning (if the fight is held in China).
Then again, making the dream fight is a lot harder than everybody thought. Although CBS top executive Les Moonves are reportedly making the initial talks to get everybody on the same page, the ball remains on Mayweather’s court.
Mayweather, who rejected to fight Pacquiao several times already because of myriad of reasons, hasn’t made a statement yet whether he’ll fight Pacquiao next, though most of boxing insiders think the match is unlikely to happen due to the fact that Money May is unwilling to risk his undefeated slate in perhaps his final two fights of his career.
For Boxing News 24 writer Yannis Mihanos, he thinks the Pacquiao vs. Marquez V would still be the best alternative if Pacman’s camp fails to book a date with Money May. Marquez is still seeking to become the first Mexican to win world titles in five different weight classes, and apparently, Pacquiao has the belt for him to take.
“I think the next choice apart the obvious (Mayweather) is another obvious: Pacquiao to fight Marquez. A fifth fight with him next March or April is what most of fight fans want to watch and has all the ingredients to be a commercial success,” according to Boxing News 24.
Of course, Marquez stressed that he won’t fight Pacquiao ever again after closing out their rivalry with a devastating sixth round knockout win against his rival two years ago.
Then again, the Mexican was reportedly on verge of fighting Pacquiao last April should Arum give him a fight check worth $15M. Having said of that, it only means that money makes all the difference for Marquez, and a fifth showdown with Pacquiao remains a possibility as long as Top-Rank pays him good money.
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