Predictions: Marquez Doesn’t Retire, Fights Manny For Fifth Time

Marquez Doesn’t Retire – Sure, there would be risk for the 40-year-old Mexican in fighting Manny again. But he’d be rewarded with a purse perhaps double what he’d made before on his best night. I think he goes for it. You, TSS readers? (Chris Farina-Top Rank)

Predictions: Juan Manuel Marquez will fight Manny Pacquiao for a fifth time probably in September, and he will not retire, and he will continue to negotiate smartly, and get all the leverage he can to get the best deal for himself he can coming off his stunning KO win over Pacman.

Yeah, the report that Marquez is leaning against fight Manny again, I think that is pure bunk.

As Marquez told Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene a couple days ago, “I think for me there is no point [in a fifth fight]. ”

Lordy, I can think of like $10 million plus reasons, all of them green. JMM, I have seen no evidence that accumulated ring damage has impacted you physically, mentally or your speech…so I’m not fully understanding this talk… do you really need me to point out that reason number one is A CAREER BEST PAYDAY?

OK, it can be pointed out that Marquez doesn’t need the money, he has invested wisely, blah blah blah. Points taken…but show me the man who has turned down a $10 plus million dollar payday, against a guy he has just KTFO, a guy who might well be permanently affected by that KO, physically and mentally, and I will show you a work of fiction. Don’t believe it, don’t believe Marquez, all due respect, and think this is all negotiating.

Mind you, I think this is reasonably effective jousting by Marquez, even if he is sort of jousting by himself at this point, as he was when he floated possible retirement right after the Dec. 8 win. In speaking to promoter Bob Arum a couple weeks ago, Arum told me he took Marquez’ retirement talk at face value. Hmm, I guess in this situation I’m taking the more skeptical stance than the man who has negotiated hundreds upon hundreds of mega-money deals since he started in the biz in 1966. So be it…

“We already achieved the desired result,” said Marquez, who made $6 million or more to fight Manny in Vegas in December. “Then why do it? So I also asked several people, several friends that I have around me and they told me not to do it, that there is no point in a fifth fight. I said before the fourth fight that no matter how this fight ends, there can not be a fifth.”

Gosh, I have to congratulate Marquez for picking his friends wisely. Sorry, the skeptic (realist?) in me emerges again, but most friend clusters around famous entertainers-athletes like to see the sunshine and revenue flows and fancy dinners and flights to exotic locations and bigshot status continue as long as possible, so typically most would tend to politely or explicitly nudge or shove the moneymaker towards the big stage. If indeed Marquez’ pals are encouraging him to not fight Manny again, I must applaud them, for going against the grain. (And I do note that it is more than possible that Marquez has a most caring and decent bunch of pals and confidantes surrounding him, I am not that hard-bit.) Also, did I miss Marquez’ hard and fast pronouncement before the fourth rumble that this was the swansong, the finale?

Yeah, I’m not calling Marquez a liar, because all is fair in love, war, boxing and negotiating your next fight. But not even a tiny part of me thinks the 39-year-old Mexican legend is going to retire this year, and will choose not to fight Pacquiao for a fifth time. It will be the most anticipated fight of 2013, and maybe the biggest moneymaker, too.

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