By Chris Williams: Former HBO analyst Larry Merchant doesn’t think it’s over for Filipino Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO’s) despite him having lost his last two fights with one of them being a vicious knockout to Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KO’s). Merchant thinks that Pacquiao should get right back in the ring with Marquez, and if he can beat him, then move forward with his career to take on the other top fighters at welterweight and light welterweight.
Merchant said to esnewsreporting.com “I think Pacquiao is capable of coming back. Manny Pacquiao has to fight Marquez again first…if he comes back and looks good in that fight, then it will relight that fire, and there are a bunch of good 140/147-pounders out there.”
It’s certainly possible that Pacquiao can get the rematch with Marquez next in September, but he and his promoter Bob Arum are going to have to open up their piggy bank and give Marquez a sweet offer that he can’t refuse. I don’t think the $10 million that Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is talking about will do the job, not when Pacquiao will get over twice that amount.
After getting the small cut of $6 million to Pacquiao’s $23 million last December, Marquez isn’t going to want to accept a tiny bump up when it’s expected to be many more boxing fans purchasing the rematch on pay per view.
I think Merchant needs to take a closer look at Pacquiao’s last two fights because he’s clearly not the same fighter he once was, and even if he beats the 39-year-old Marquez, Pacquiao won’t be back to where he once was. He might be really popular, but if they put him in with someone good like Floyd Mayweather Jr, Pacquiao will get schooled badly.
There isn’t going to be a “bunch of good 140/147-pounders” that Pacquiao will be matched against win or lose his next fight. Arum is going to keep his fights in house and match him only against Top Rank fighters, likely for the remainder of his career. Arum already said Pacquiao has a choice between these Top Rank fighters for his next fight: Marquez, Tim Bradley, and the winner of Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado.
You can bet that after Pacquiao faces one of those guys, he’ll be matched up with whoever he didn’t pick from that list, unless he fights the same guy again. Arum already said that he’s not ruling out Pacquiao fighting Marquez six times, so if he faces him in September, we could see them fighting in 2014. As long as the fights keep making a lot of money, I can’t see Arum stopping the rivalry unless one of them puts their foot down and says enough.
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