Pacquiao expected to fight Marquez on December 8th

09/14/201609/03/2012 ESB

Pacquiao expected to fight Marquez on December 8th By Rob Smith: 33-year-old Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) is expected to sign to fight 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) on December 8th now that Marquez’s only real competitor for the fight, Miguel Cotto, has decided on taking on Austin Trout on December 1st. Technically, WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley is still in the running for Pacquiao’s next fight on December 8th, but he’s not a serious option because of the controversy that surrounded his win over Pacquiao last June. But importantly, Bradley isn’t an option because the Pacquiao-Bradley fight brought in low pay per view totals last time out.

Money is the name of the game, and Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is trying to maximize the income he can get for his fighter with what little time he’s got left in the sport. Judging by how Pacquiao has looked in his last two fights, I don’t think he’s got too much time left at the top of the game unless Arum starts spoon-feeding him weaker opposition at some point. A lot of boxing fans think that’s already been going on with Arum putting Pacquiao in with Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Bradley instead of Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Andre Berto.

Marquez brings in a lot of Hispanic fans to a fourth fight with Pacquiao, and Arum realizes that. It’s a fight that could make a lot of money due to the casual boxing fans that will be excited about seeing this. However, it’s a fight that the hardcore boxing fans have seen one too many times it’s utterly predictable how the fight will take place and end.

Tim Bradley could wind up out in the cold if Pacquiao chooses Marquez to fight next

09/14/201609/01/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: With Manny Pacquiao possibly ready to make his pick this weekend for his December 8th fight, it’s expected that 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez will selected by Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum for his next fight. However, this leaves Pacquiao’s recent conqueror WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (29-0, 12 KO’s) out in the cold with no opponent for his next fight. Bradley intentionally waited all this time to see if Pacquiao would want to fight him and he’s now on the verge of having nothing to show for it.

Miguel Cotto won’t be around to fight Bradley, and if he was he wouldn’t waste time fighting this guy. Bradley is going to have to look to defend his World Boxing Organization strap against the best possible contender, unless he’s interested in milking his title agaisnt the lowest rank WBO contender in order to have a better chance of holding onto the WBO strap long enough to get another shot at fighting Pacquiao.

There only a limited amount of options in Bob Arum’s Top Rank stable, meaning that Bradley is almost guaranteed a shot against Pacquiao at some point in the future as long as Bradley remains with Top Rank. Arum likes to put together in house fights with he matches Pacquiao, so Bradley should be getting a crack at the Filipino fighter at some point next year.

Pacquiao’s options down to Marquez and Bradley after Cotto chooses to fight Trout

09/14/201608/31/2012 ESB

By Marcus Richardson: Manny Pacquiao’s options are now greatly limited after Miguel Cotto announced that he’ll be fighting WBA World light middleweight champion Austin Trout on December 1st at Madison Square Garden, in New York. Pacquiao and his promoter Bob Arum now much choose from Tim Bradley (29-0, 12 KO’s) and Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) for Pacquiao’s upcoming fight in December. It’s not even a choice, is it? Arum wants to maximize his fighter Pacquiao’s payday and it seems pretty clear that the only option they have if they want to do that is to fight 39-year-old Marquez next.

Who knows how many more fights Pacquiao has in him, so it kind of makes sense for Arum to be looking to squeeze every last cent out of the remaining fights of his Filipino star’s career because the Pacquiao train seems to be slowing down now that he’s showing signs of aging.

Marquez would be smart to jump on the Cotto news and demand a bigger slice of the revenue for a Pacquiao fight, because there’s really not many options for Pacquiao now. To be sure, Pacquiao can take the Bradley rematch, make less money for himself and Arum, and possibly get beaten again if Bradley uses movement and a more consistent attack. With Pacquiao limited to fighting hard in the last 20 seconds of every round, Bradley would have a good chance of beating him again.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez on November 10th?

09/14/201608/29/2012 ESB

By Rob Smith: 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KO’s) and Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KO’s) have reportedly reached agreement to fight on November 10th, according to fightnews.com. It’s still not official but the word is that Marquez and Pacquiao have reached an agreement for a fourth fight between them, which will take place the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tim Bradley, the WBO welterweight champion, has been passed over for a rematch with Pacquiao, no doubt due to the poor pay per view figures that the Pacquiao-Bradley fight brought in last June.

Pacquiao has to beat Marquez in order to get a much bigger payday against unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr next year. It’s still unclear whether that fight can even be made unless the two fighters can agree on the purse split and other issues.

A fourth fight between Pacquiao and Marquez might be well received by some boxing fans who have enjoyed the two fighters three previous fights together. However, other boxing fans are plain sick of seeing these guys fight each other so often and they prefer to see them go their separate ways. The fights have always been controversial and that’s really taken away from them, as Marquez has fought well enough to deserve a decision in all three fights, and yet he’s got two losses and a draw to show for them.

Arum Says Pac-Bradley Rematch Unlikely, Says It Will Be Cotto Or Marquez On Nov. 10th – And Then A Mayweather Showdown Next April?

08/15/2012 ESB

By James Slater: According to Top Rank boss and promoter of superstar Manny Pacquiao, Tim Bradley is out of the running as far as Manny’s November 10th opponent goes. As quoted by The Manila Times, Arum said there is simply not enough fan interest in a Pacquiao-Bradley II, despite, or maybe because of, the controversial nature of the June 9th fight that Bradley somehow won via decision.