By Chris Williams: With Bob Arum quickly running out of Top Rank stable fighters to feed Manny Pacquiao, we’re likely going to see Pacquiao facing Juan Manuel Marquez for a 5th fight next year after Pacquiao faces Top Rank fighter Brandon Rios in April.

Marquez and Pacquiao are fighting for a fourth time next month on December 8th, and I suppose we’re lucky that it’s Marquez that’s getting the fight because the guy we could have seen a rematch between Pacquiao and Tim Bradley, another one of Arum’s fighters. That would have been fate worse than death to see that again.

Arum has a keen sense of what the boxing public are willing to buy on PPV, which is why he won’t likely be repeating the mistake he made by matching Pacquiao back up with Bradley. But there’s really not a lo of other options Arum has for Pacquiao in his stable.

He likes to match Pacquiao up with guys from his Top Rank stable, and the problem is that there’s just not much left. Rios will likely be trotted out early next year, but if those numbers are similar to the Pacquiao-Bradley numbers, look for Rios not to get another shot against Pacquiao. But if they are good you can bet Rios and Marquez will be guys that will find their way back in the ring with Pacquiao in either 2013 or 2014. We won’t be seeing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and probably not Miguel Cotto either.

Marquez can put himself into a prime position to where he’ll get the 5th fight with Pacquiao immediately rather than having to wait by simply beating Pacquiao next month. I know he feels been jobbed three times in the past, but here’s his chance to beat and then get another big paying fight. The money that Marquez will make after beating Pacquiao will be a whole lot more than he’ll get if he loses by another controversial decision to him but still gets picked for a rematch by Arum simply because of the good money that the Pacquiao-Marquez 4 fight will make on PPV.