Mayweather: Pacquiao has to avenge his losses to Marquez and Bradley before I’ll fight him

may3By Rob Smith: If Bob Arum of Top Rank and Manny Pacquiao want a huge money mega fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. to take place in 2014 then Pacquiao is going to have to avenge his defeats to Juan Manuel Marquez and Tim Bradley, Mayweather says. He says Pacquiao has unfinished business with those two fighters before he’ll even consider a bout against him.

Speaking with ESPN, Mayweather said “First Manny Pacquiao has to get past Marquez, a fighter I beat with ease. I mean, that was one of my easiest fights. Manny Pacquiao still has Tim Bradley problems, he still has Marquez problems. First Manny Pacquiao has to get those guys, then he can step inside the lion’s den with Floyd Mayweather.”

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Pacquiao vs. Marquez V: “Don’t Play It Again, Sam”

pac53By Marc Livitz: Popular sentiment does not always equal undeniable proof.

Quite often, results can create an aura of their own, and through the course of time, the memories become distorted and the truth is stretched. History gives way to legends and sometimes on to myth. The three hundred defeated the one hundred thousand or so, Saint George killed the dragon, and William Wallace was eight feet in height. These and many more are unlikely episodes yet they are padded by time and tradition.

Boxing cannot as a sport and pastime allow itself to permit the shocking to trump the significant. Earlier this weekend, ESPN aired a replay of the noteworthy and now perhaps in the ranks of fireside chat happenings of December 8, 2012.

Did all time great Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez save fifty people from a burning building? Not exactly. He did what most of us hadn’t anticipated, which of course was to knock Manny Pacquiao across the next three dimensions.

The sixth round knockout cleared the argument in regard to the nonsensical pound for pound debate. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. clearly sat upon the throne, although many would argue that perhaps Marquez or Andre Ward held the rights upon which to take off the load. Boxing in 2012 had its fair share of upsets and horrific displays of ringside judging.

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Arum excited about Mexico City for Pacquiao-Marquez 5 fight

arum4By Rob Smith: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is enthusiastic about placing the Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fifth fight inside a new arena in Mexico City, Mexico. The arena holds 18,000 and Arum believes it’s an ideal location for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight to take place. He expects Americans to come and watch the Pacquiao-Marquez fight, but it’s going to be real test to see if that happens.

Arum said to ringtv “Mexico City has a beautiful arena in Mexico City…It’s bigger than the MGM [Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada]. It’s a state of the art facility. They just built it…it’s a safe area.”

That’s a long trip for U.S boxing fans to take just to see Pacquiao and Marquez fight. There’s also the danger of traveling in Mexico. Right now the country has an ongoing drug war going on and it’s potentially risky to travel there. U.S fans obviously want to see Pacquiao and Marquez again, but is it worth the risk? Does Arum have a body guard in Mexico? I would be afraid to travel their myself even with a body guard.

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Arum: Pacquiao doesn’t want to fight Marquez in U.S because he’d have to pay high taxes

arum453By Rob Smith: Bob Arum says Manny Pacquiao will be looking to fight Juan Manuel Marquez outside of the United States for their fifth fight in September to escape the high taxes in the country. Pacquiao and Marquez both want to avoid the taxes for this fight, and Arum is planning on staging it in Mexico in Mexico City.

Arum said to ringtv “Pacquiao doesn’t want to fight in the United States because he’d have to give close to 40% [in taxes] to the government…They [Pacquiao and Marquez] would prefer for the fight not to be in the United States. That’s what happens when you raise taxes and you say ‘Well, let the rich pay.’”

That sounds like a good move for Arum, Pacquiao and Marquez. If they can get the U.S pay per view money tax free, then more power to them. They’re probably saving a bundle by making this move, and who knows how much time those guys have left in their careers. One more knockout loss for Pacquiao and it could be over, and Marquez will be 40-years-old by the time he faces Pacquiao for their fifth fight in September.

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Juan Manuel Marquez to continue fighting

marquez34By Bill Phanco: Former four division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KO’s) has decided to continue fighting after meeting with his wife and children to help him make the decision, according to fightnews.com. Marquez, 39, wasn’t sure whether he should continue his 20-year pro career after knocking his old nemesis Manny Pacquiao out in the 6th round last month in their fourth fight.

But the lure of big money in a fifth fight with Pacquiao proved to be too much for Marquez, and he went with what many boxing fans would agree is the smart choice by continuing to fight at least for the remainder of 2013. Marquez made $3 million guaranteed for the fourth fight with Pacquiao, and he should make considerably more next time around.

Bob Arum of Top Rank is targeting September as the month that he’d like to put Pacquiao and Marquez back together again. However, if they choose September 14th it might hurt the pay per view numbers because Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez are scheduled to be fighting on that date, possibly against each other. It would be a disaster for all if Arum decides to put the Pacquiao-Marquez 5th fight on the same date.

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Pacquiao & Marquez to choose between Senchenko and Vargas for April tune-up fights

By Rob Smith: Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez are being given the choice of between Jessie Vargas and Vyacheslav Senchenko for their tune-up fights next April. Pacquiao will be fighting on April 13th, and he reportedly will be given the first pick of the two, according to Manila Bulletin, and Marquez will be selecting whichever fighter is left over.

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Roach excited about Pacquiao vs. Marquez 5, thinks it’ll break all-time PPV mark

By Rob Smith: Freddie Roach doesn’t see the need for Manny Pacquiao to take any tune-up fights, and he just wants him back in the ring and ready to take on Juan Manuel Marquez for a fifth fight. Roach is excited about the fight because he thinks it’ll break the 2.4 million pay per view totals from the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. mark back in 2007. Those totals are the highest PPV mark ever in the sport, and Roach thinks Pacquiao-Marquez 5 will bust that record.

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Who will Arum match Pacquiao and Marquez up with on April 20th?

arum45By Rob Smith: Bob Arum of Top Rank is interested in putting together a doubleheader on April 20th with Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez each fight separate tune-up fights on a pay per view card. Arum wants to get the boxing public interested in a September fifth fight between the two fighters.

A tune-up really isn’t needed for the 39-year-old Marquez because he looked really sharp on December 8th last month in stopping Pacquiao in the 6th round. But Pacquiao definitely needs a tune-up bout or two because he was badly knocked out and the Arum probably needs to make sure he’s okay by having him fight a safe opponent without any power to speak of.

With this being a tune-up fight I would figure that Arum would look to match Pacquiao against a weak punching 2nd tier fighter so there’s no risk of Pacquiao getting knocked out again, but I think Arum will want to keep the fight an in house Top Rank affair by matching him against one of his own fighters.

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Pacquiao and Marquez in possible tune-up doubleheader on April 20th

marquez34By Rob Smith: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is reportedly interested in putting together separate tune-up bouts for his fighter Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez in a pay per view doubleheader on April 20th, according to the Manila Bulletin. Pacquiao’s anxious to get back in the ring and his 90-day medical suspension will have expired by that point. The tune-up bouts would get Pacquiao and Marquez ready for a huge mega fight later on in the year in September if the two fighters agree to it.

Marquez still needs to say ‘yes’ to the idea of the April 20th doubleheader. Arum spoke with Marquez’s promoter Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions and he’s going to be speaking with Marquez to see if he’s on board with this idea.

Arum likes the idea of the Pacquiao and Marquez doubleheader because it’ll get boxing fans interested in a fight between the two stars in September in what would be a fifth fight between them. It’s likely that their September fight will take place on the Mexican Independence day on September 14th or around the same time.

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