When Timothy Bradley defeated Manny Pacquiao in June of 2012 most felt he was giftwrapped a victory in the biggest fight of his life. When Bradley met with Juan Manuel Marquez earlier this year, he engaged in another fairly close fight in which he left the victor. To most, this was not disputed as angrily as the Pacman bout.
The proud Mexican fighter was furious following Bradley's unanimous decision, claiming he was robbed, and called Bradley the "only undefeated fighter with two losses." Now that he's advancing in age, Marquez said he is considering retirement unless he's granted a rematch to avenge the loss.
"Juan has only one goal - to confront Timothy Bradley in a rematch. If that does not happen, he will retire. Juan wants to win another world championship, in a fifth division, and Bradley has the welterweight title," said trainer Nacho Beristain.
Marquez has shown zero interest in linking up for a fifth fight with Manny Pacquiao, preferring to let their storied rivalry close with his stunning sixth-round knockout last year. Another option for him is Ruslan "The Siberian Rocky" Provodnikov, who nearly battered Bradley into submission before knocking out Mike Alvarado in Alvarado's hometown of Denver.
Beristain is expected to engage WBO president Francisco Valcarcel about a possible Ruslan fight saying, "I do not know what will come out of the conversation with Valcarcel."
Provodnikov's rep Vadim Kornilov is quoted as saying, "If a compromise is reached and Pacquiao fights Mayweather or Bradley, Marquez will have to fight Ruslan Provodnikov because that would be the only remaining fight for Marquez that people would actually want to see on HBO pay-per-view."
Ruslan could also be in the mix for a Bradley rematch. "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.
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