Pacquiao-Marquez IV: Is there consumer fatigue setting in for this fight?

By Boxing News - 09/23/2012 - Comments

Image: Pacquiao-Marquez IV: Is there consumer fatigue setting in for this fight?By Chris Williams: Dan Rafael and Steve Kim both chimed in on their thoughts about the scheduled December 8th fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez by pointing out that the fight has pretty much run it’s course after three previous fights and that boxing fans need to see something different for Pacquiao such as Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Here’s what Dan Rafael had to say on the matter during Jim Lampley’s Fight Game last Saturday night on HBO:

“I think the boxing media says that we’ve seen that before; we’ve seen in three times. All three good fights. I don’t need to see a fourth fight. Like everyone else, we want to see the Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.”

Steve Kim had this to say:

“I think it’s very simple. We’ve seen some consumer fatigue. I think people have had enough. When Golden Boy and Top Rank refused to work with one another there becomes a tipping point even for Manny Pacquiao where you exhaust all possibilities for difficult opponents. I would much rather see a Lucas Matthysse or Victor Ortiz believe it or not rather than Juan Manuel Marquez-Pacquiao fight. And quite frankly, we’ve been there and done that.”

I wholeheartedly agree with both Rafael and Kim. We’ve seen the Pacquiao vs. Marquez fight too many times and promoter Bob Arum needs to bring in some new blood for Pacquiao instead of bringing out Marquez so often. It’s like once he’s found a fight that makes money, Arum keeps putting the fight together. We saw Pacquiao fight Erik Morales three times when once would have been fine.

We saw Pacquiao fight Marco Antonio Barrera twice. There’s no point in a rematch given how one-sided the first fight was. And now we’re seeing Pacquiao fight Marquez for a fourth time. I wish it would end here but it probably won’t. After Pacquiao fights Marquez again, Arum will either match Pacquiao up with Tim Bradley or Miguel Cotto again. In other words, he’s going to be put in with retread opponents. We’re likely not going to see Mayweather in with Pacquiao. I don’t see that, not with money still to be made against Cotto and Bradley again.

I’d be willing to bet that after Pacquiao fights Bradley and Cotto again, Marquez will be get selected for a fifth fight with Pacquiao. It won’t end until one of two things – Pacquiao starts losing over and over or boxing fans stop buying the same fights. With Pacquiao’s large built in Filipino fan base that purchase his fights in high numbers, he’ll likely continue to get good PPV stats in fights against Marquez and Cotto until he decides to retire. I just think it’s a bad idea to keep putting out the same opponents instead of trying to find new guys.



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