By Manuel Perez: WBC president Jose Sulaiman is advising that the 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KO’s) should be tempted by an offer for fifth fight against the younger 34-year-old Manny Pacquiao, and instead should choose to retire.
Speaking with centraldeportiva.com, Sulaiman said “For me, he [Marquez] should hang up his gloves. If Juan Manuel Marquez retires then he can take his knockout win over what some people were calling ‘the best fighter in the world.’”
Sulaiman doesn’t think the money is worth it for Marquez to take the risk at this point in his life. Suliaman is more concerned with Marquez’s health because he’s about to turn 40, and is no longer the young fighter he once was in the sport.
Marquez isn’t talking about retirement. He’s been saying he’s not interested in facing Pacquiao again, but some people believe that is just a strategy to get a better deal from Top Rank promoter Bob Arum for a fifth fight with Pacquiao. If Marquez decides not to fight Pacquiao, he will get a lot less money to fight other opponents.
The kinds of names that Marquez will need in order to make good money are people like Robert Guerrero, Brandon Rios, Victor Ortiz, Amir Khan and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Those would be tough fights for Marquez, and only a fight with Mayweather would give him the kind of life changing money that he received in his last fight with Pacquiao last December.
I’m all for Marquez fighting Pacquiao again. He’s got Pacquiao’s number, and he’ll likely finish him off. Arum must not believe Marquez can do it a second time because why else would he be agreeable to putting his cash cow Pacquiao back in with Marquez? Arum has been so careful with Pacquiao with his match-making, and I don’t think he would make this fight if he didn’t see Pacquiao winning it.
Marquez will be one of those fighters that will stay too long in the sport just like Pacquiao. Marquez should have retired after his KO win last December, but you can see he’s not going to stop. It’s not going to be a happy ending for him, but I do believe he’ll knock Pacquiao out if he chooses to fight him in September.
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