Juan Manuel Marquez is reportedly considering retirement due to a lack of intriguing opponents. Marquez has said he wants to fight for a fifth world title, and has his eyes on IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook, but the 41-year-old fighter also said he has to see how his body responds to training.
"I'm starting to train to see how I feel physically. If we feel good we will make a decision by year's end on whether we'll fight in 2015," Marquez said to BoxingScene.com.
"I would like to retire [in a bout against] a tough fighter and [win a] fifth world title. If I feel good, then I'll tell you and possibly I'll have not one fight but two [fights]. But first we have to see how the body responds."
A title fight may not be available to him anytime soon, but a "tough" fighter could be. Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero is available after a rumored bout with Amir Khan fell through. Khan has agreed to face Devon Alexander on December 6, leaving Guerrero without an opponent.
Guerrero returned to the ring in June after a layoff of over a year against Yoshihiro Kamegai, and won perhaps the Fight of the Year by unanimous decision. Guerrero's co-adviser Bob Santos said that Guerrero's camp would consider Marquez as an opponent, and took some potshots at Khan in the process.
"The Alexander fight is a better style matchup for Khan that's for sure," Santos said. "Khan has avoided Robert for years. We're not sure what's next, Juan Manuel Marquez is a possibility. We will see."
Marquez has been called out by other fighters with varying degrees of seriousness. Adrien Broner mentioned Marquez in an Instagram video in which he called for big-name opponents, but his trainer Mike Stafford indicated last month that lower-level opponents are in store for him.
Another fighter eager to face Marquez is Ruslan Provodnikov, although without a belt Marquez is unlikely to be interested.
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