Juan Manuel Marquez hasn't decided on an opponent for his next fight, according to trainer Angel Heredia, but Marquez does know one thing--he won't be fighting Manny Pacquiao next.
Despite Top Rank CEO Bob Arum pushing for another match between the classic archrivals, Marquez is steadfastly refusing to step back in the ring with his nemesis after landing the knockout of his career last year.
"[The win over Pacquiao] is and always will be an unforgettable moment for me, for the fans," Marquez told BoxingScene.com. "That is precisely why I think there is no point in a fifth fight although the promoters are pushing [for it]."
Heredia backed up that statement in an interview with FightSaga.com. "He said 'Angel, I think the chapter is closed now. I want to get Bradley. I want to get the rematch, I want to beat him, get the title, then maybe do a couple of fights in Mexico and retire.'"
Many didn't see the Bradley fight as closely as Marquez did, however, so it is highly questionable whether Bradley will grant a rematch with a potential big money fight against Pacquiao on the table. In lieu of facing Bradley, lots of fans are eager to see Marquez's brilliant counterpunching style against the hard-charging brutality of "Siberian Rocky" Ruslan Provodnikov.
According to Heredia, Provodnikov is someone Marquez would consider fighting. "He mentioned Ruslan as an option to me," Heredia said. "But he doesn't want to fight in Vegas anymore. So it could be in Mexico, San Antonio, Texas, or Florida. Who knows."
Recently Ruslan's adviser Vadim Kornilov expressed his desire for the matchup, or a rematch with Bradley. "Ruslan facing Timothy Bradley again is another great fight for us and we're definitely open to that fight. More importantly, it would be a rematch that people would want to see much more than a rematch between Marquez and Bradley which was clearly a one sided fight," Kornilov said before getting to "Dinamita."
"I think that Marquez has a lot of that Mexican warrior spirit in him and he will fight the best out there right now even thought it might be more risky than other fights he could take."
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