Juan Manuel Marquez likely ended retirement chatter for quite a while after an impressive victory over Mike Alvarado on Saturday, and many are penciling him in for a fifth fight against Manny Pacquiao this fall.
Marquez has made no secret of his burning desire to become the first Mexican fighter to win five titles in five weight classes, and Pacquiao's WBO welterweight strap fits the bill. It is also a fight that Top Rank boss Bob Arum has pined for.
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Before the Alvarado fight, Arum was clear he planned to pit the winner vs. Pacman. "There is nothing contractual with the two fighters that are fighting Saturday, but they know I will offer the winner a fight with Manny and it's up to the winner to accept or reject it," Arum said. "So that's where we stand. Manny has agreed to fight the winner, so I would say that once we got the terms straightened out it would be a done deal."
However, Marquez up until recently was vehemently against facing Pacquiao again. He had re-iterated over and over that his knockout victory in 2012 over Manny closed the book on their rivalry, and avenged previous "robberies." He softened that stance as time went on, but his financial demands may be a problem making the fifth bout.
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With Pacquiao's star fading just a bit, and Marquez having knocked him out in their most recent fight, Marquez's camp is making it clear that the $20 million for Pacquiao and $6 million for Marquez that was agreed upon last time won't cut it. It's going to be a very difficult negotiation," Marquez's trainer and manager Ignacio Beristain said. Prior to the Alvarado fight, when asked if JMM would demand a 50-50 split Beristan replied, "I don't know. It all depends on this fight."
After seeing Marquez dominate Alvarado, and look as strong as ever, the negotiations might make for a bumpy ride.
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