A fifth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez won’t settle anything

By Boxing News - 09/05/2013 - Comments

marquez56By Jose Muradas: Yes, the title is correct, and it may happen. The fight is on the drawing board, and is being shopped around to casinos by Top Rank. It could become a certainty if both fighters win their upcoming fights. Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40KO’s) with a victory over Tim Bradley (30-0-0, 12KO’s) would then have to fight the WBO’s mandatory challenger, who would be none other than Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38KO’s).

If the money’s right, any fight can be made, but why continue to push this match- up on the public. Marquez will not fight Pacquiao, he has stated this already. The reasons are unclear, but he may feel that he has vindicated himself in front of the boxing world’s eyes. There is also the age factor, Marquez is 40 years old.

I don’t blame Marquez, if his reasoning is that he has nothing to prove. In Paquiao’s case he won three out of the four encounters, but the last fight with Marquez left Pacquiao flat on the canvas. In Manny’s mind, this is not how he wants the show to end. He wants to be viewed as the best fighter in the sport. A knockout loss doesn’t help support that image,and questions about his supposed decline only add more doubt in the public’s mind.

What should happen? Well, Manny needs to beat Rios convincingly, and look towards a fight with major appeal. In Marquez’s case he needs to walk into the sunset after the Bradley fight.

The first three fights between the two are ring classics. Pacquiao edged Marquez, and Marquez felt cheated. The fourth was sweet vindication for Marquez,and brought him a sense of closure. A fifth fight will not settle anything between the two fighters. Some people feel Marquez won the first three and the fourth was icing on the cake. Some feel that Pacquiao was slightly better, and got hit with a lucky punch in their last fight. The debate will always be there, but it’s time to close the chapter on this rivalry.



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