by James Slater – The man lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez really wanted to face in his next bout is pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao; a warrior the Mexican is currently 0-1-1 with. However, despite Golden Boy’s and Oscar De La Hoya’s best efforts, the fight the real fans want to see take place in November (instead of Pac-Man Vs. Antonio Margarito) doesn’t have much of a shot at all of happening. So, the fighter known as “Dinamita” has had to look elsewhere for his next opponent, and the 37-year-old is now focusing on two big names: WBA 140-pound champ Amir Khan, and WBO interim champ at 135, Michael Katsidis..
Dan Rafael of ESPN.com spoke with Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, and the Swiss banker told Rafael that Marquez is hoping to get back in the ring in either November or December, and that the two “most logical” opponents are Khan and Katsidis.
“It depends on the weight he wants to fight at,” Schaefer said of Marquez. “Either one (Khan or Katsidis) is a serious fight that I would be looking forward [to]. It comes down to what Marquez wants to do.”
Marquez has often had his name put alongside Khan’s, and a fight between the two, up at light-welterweight, would give Marquez – who is coming off that impressive, near shut-out decision win over Juan Diaz – the opportunity to become the first Mexican to win world titles in four different weight classes. However, Katsidis, the tough warrior from Australia, is Marquez’s mandatory challenger at lightweight. Will Marquez stay where he is, or will he try once again his hand at a higher weight (Marquez, of course, lost heavily up at welterweight, against Floyd Mayweather).
Katsidis wants Marquez just as much as Khan does, and the man who destroyed Khan’s countryman Kevin Mitchell inside three-rounds last time out deserves the fight more than Khan does. Katsidis sure has been waiting a long time for his shot at the lightweight title, and on paper, Marquez-Katsidis looks the better, more action packed fight. Khan, as vulnerable as he is to a good shot to the chin, would very likely be way too big and fast for the still formidable, but ageing Mexican legend.
The bottom line, though, is it’s up to Marquez. No way would HBO have any problems televising either fight, so the man who has given us so many great fights can do what he thinks is best for him. What may be somewhat worrying, however, is what Schaefer had to say about a possible Erik Morales-Marquez fight – a match-up he is looking at for a later date.
Schaefer said this all-Mexican affair is one he would “love to do,” and that “we’ve had some conversations with Erik Morales.” A few years ago, this fight would have really been something to see, but how much has “El Terrible” got left here in 2010? Okay, Morales, at age 33, is younger than Marquez, but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks he has less wear and tear on is body than does his countryman.
Marquez-Katsidis, and possibly Marquez-Khan, would be good, evenly-matched fights; but Marquez-Morales would be a sad night for fans of the now faded “El Terrible.”