Manny Pacquiao has fought Juan Manuel Marquez four times, and each of the four bouts has been an exciting slugfest. Pacquiao owns two wins, a draw was mixed in, and Marquez famously holds the only knockout victory in their last bout.
Marquez to demand huge payday vs. Pacquiao?
There was talk of Marquez retiring should he fall to Mike Alvarado this past Saturday, but he quieted that chatter down with a dominant win over "Mile High." Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has loudly stated his desire to pit the Marquez-Alvarado winner in a title fight with Pacquiao, but that doesn't mean it will happen.
In the past Marquez has shown reluctance to revisit the rivalry, having finally defeated his nemesis on the fourth grueling try, and via knockout. After beating Alvarado, and knowing the talk of a fifth fight coming in, Marquez refused to commit to anything.
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"I'll relax, I don't know at the moment," Marquez said of what comes next. "But any decision that I make will be good for me, my family, and all of the Mexican fans."
There's also been buzz that Marquez will no longer be content with the lopsided split disparity present in their previous fight; Pacquiao walked away with $20 million to Marquez's $6 million. "It's going to be a very difficult negotiation," Ignacio Beristain, Marquez's longtime adviser said prior to facing Alvarado. "I don't know. It all depends on this fight," Beristain said of demanding a 50-50 split. After JMM's thorough victory, it'd be hard to not agree with his demands.
There's also the possibility of Pacquiao deciding against traversing old lands and facing a younger Mexican superstar--Canelo Alvarez. Arum and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions have seemed eager to end the "Cold War" in boxing and start cross-promoting huge fights. Canelo offers a fresher face than Marquez, as well as a larger fan base at this point.
It also would elevate Pacquiao historically. His legacy has suffered by never fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., and that fight was killed by boxing politics. Should Pacquiao help eradicate the scourge of promoters not working with each other, some of the stain on Pacman's legacy would be erased.
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