Juan Manuel Marquez wants Lamont Peterson next if he can’t get Pacquiao

By Boxing News - 01/13/2012 - Comments

Image: Juan Manuel Marquez wants Lamont Peterson next if he can't get PacquiaoBy Allen Fox: Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KO’s) is already looking at a backup plan in case he doesn’t get to be the lucky one picked to face WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in his next fight coming up in the summer.

Marquez, 38, doesn’t want to waste time in waiting for Pacquiao to fight him in 2012 and is looking at facing IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) to go after a fourth division world title in 2012.

Marquez says he wants to take a tune-up fight against a likely fringe contender and then go after Peterson’s two titles.

Peterson is interested in the Marquez fight as well, as is his trainer Barry Hunter, who told Ringtv “That would definitely be cool to fight Marquez, because Marquez has always been a favorite fighter of Lamont’s…I think that it will be tactical, but in the end, both of these guys would lay it on the line.”

This would be a great opportunity for both fighters. Marquez needs something to keep him busy while he waits for a fourth fight with Pacquiao, and he’s already proven that he’s the best fighter in the lightweight division. Moving up in weight to take on Peterson would be a big move and an interesting fight as well. Marquez isn’t all that excited about fighting 35-year-old Erik Morales, who holds the WBC light welterweight title for some reason. But Peterson is definitely a fight that Marquez wants to take.

Peterson will have to fight Amir Khan again before he can fight Marquez, as the WBA ordered an immediate rematch between the two fighters yesterday. The only way Peterson could get out of that would be to vacate the WBA belt, but the IBF will also likely force him to fight Khan immediately. Those issues may keep Peterson and Marquez fighting unless Marquez is willing to wait for the Khan-Peterson rematch to take place in April or May. Peterson has a real chance of winning that fight given his dominance of Khan in the 2nd half of their fight last December.



Comments are closed.