By Jason Kim: Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KO’s) has a lot riding on his April 14th fight against 30-year-old Sergiy Fedchenko (30-1, 13 KO’s) at the New Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico. This is an important fight for Marquez to win in order for him to stay in the running for a rematch against WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez could also face the winner of the Richard Abril vs. Brandon Rios fight, which takes place on the same night as the Marquez vs. Fedchenko fight. If Marquez faces Rios, then the fight will be taking place at the Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas on July 14th. However, it’s still unknown if Marquez will be facing Rios or Mercito Gesta, another Top Rank fighter. Both amount to being the same kind of fights with Marquez facing one-paced sluggers without much in the way of boxing skills in comparison. I like Rios as a slugger but he’s not in the same class as Marquez and certainly isn’t in the same class Pacquiao. Bob Arum has already talked about wanting to match Rios with Pacquiao next year, and that’s a scary thought.

This is Fedchenko’s big chance. If he can beat Marquez in this fight, then he’ll get a good paying rematch with Marquez or perhaps a fight against Rios at the Cowboys stadium. It’s possible that Fedchenko can beat Marquez because he’s a natural 140 pounder but he’s not particularly skilled in comparisons and there’s nothing on Fedchenko’s resume that would suggest that he’ll be able to compete against Marquez. He lost to Kaizer Mabuza and the rest of Fedchenko’s opponents have been straight up C level fighters that he’s been spoon fed.

Marquez has two or three really good fights ahead of him if and when he gets past Fedchenko. He can’t afford to blow it by not being ready for Fedchenko’s style of fighting. It’s an Eastern European style and Marquez has likely fought few if any of those types of fighters during his career. It’s going to be a whole new experience for Marquez and hopefully he’s ready for it.