Bradley in the driver’s seat for Pacquiao fight; Marquez out

By Boxing News - 08/20/2012 - Comments

Image: Bradley in the driver's seat for Pacquiao fight; Marquez outBy Chris Williams: WBO light welterweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez has reportedly priced himself out for a rematch against Manny Pacquiao, according to a news tip given to fighthype.com. Apparently, the big money that would be brought in with the extra pay per view buys that a Marquez-Pacquiao fourth fight would bring in wouldn’t make it worthwhile for the Filipino to take the fight because Marquez wants more money for this fight.

If Pacquiao were to take the fight with Marquez, he night get the big money that he’s been making in previous fights. As such, Bradley is now in the driver’s seat to get the rematch with Pacquiao, mainly because Bradley is willing to take less than what the much seasoned – and popular – Marquez is asking for.

Another sign that Marquez is out of the picture is that Top Rank wants Pacquiao’s next fight on November 10th to take place in Las Vegas, and Marquez has already said he won’t fight Pacquiao there because he feels he was jobbed in his three prior fights with the Filipino in that city.

This leaves Marquez out in the cold as far as Pacquiao goes. If Pacquiao can make more money against Bradley, then Marquez is going to have to move along and find someone else to fight, such as Lamont Peterson, Danny Garcia, Devon Alexander or one of the lesser known contenders that the World Boxing Organization has ranked in the light welterweight division.

Sooner or later, Marquez will likely get another shot against Pacquiao once the recycled Bradley-Pacquiao fight is done. Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum only has so many options for big fights, and Marquez is one of the top guys along with Floyd Mayweather Jr and Miguel Cotto. Mayweather Jr. has been the equivalent of the red self destruct button that Arum has been careful not to touch all these years.

No doubt there’s just too much danger for Arum if he pushes that button and lets Mayweather Jr. loose to fight his cash cow. But with the options running out and boxing fans losing interest in that fight as both fighters continue age, Arum is going to have to do it sooner or later. It’s better sooner than later, because Pacquiao is aging and may take another loss in his next fight against a healthy Bradley.



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