Pacquiao vs Marquez fifth fight in the offing?

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

RUMORS are circulating in boxing world that a fifth fight between our world boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and his conqueror Mexican ring-great Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez is possible. This is what world boxing pundits say after Pacman offered JuanMa (that’s how I call Marquez) a whooping $150 million bucks anew (the previous was $100M) with a condition that the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title battle will be held here in the Philippines. Unfortunately, JuanMa quickly turned down the offer when interviewed by the world sports scribes saying that the guaranteed purse is tempting but honor and pride come first for him.

“The offer is tempting but I’ll be fighting in Pacman’s country and for sure Filipino fans will be cheering for him and I’m afraid there might be a hometown decision,” said JuanMa. But he did not ask for a neutral country as venue or not even negotiate for an even higher purse but plainly said “No”. But some boxing promoters (who talked on condition of anonymity) say that the Mexican ‘hall of famer’ JuanMa might say ‘yes’ if the offer reaches $200M just like what happened in the Mayweather-Pacquiao tussle in 2015.

I guess the other reason why JuanMa refuses a fifth encounter with Pacman is because he has been inactive for almost six years, unlike Pacman. JuanMa’s last two fights after his knockout win over Pacman (December 8, 2012) was a split decision loss over black American former world welterweight champ Timothy Bradley on October 12, 2013 and lost the WBO title, and a victory over Mexican-American Mike Alvarado via unanimous decision on May 17, 2014. Pacman’s last two fights were both victories over undefeated Adrien Brioner via unanimous decision on January 19, 2019 and Keith Thurman via split verdict on July 20, 2019, both black Americans.

JuanMa, born on August 23, 1973 in Mexico City, is now 46 years old and rusty having been idle for almost six years, while the Kibawe, Bukidnon-born Pacman is 41 years old, and never stopped fighting against the best in the world. Pacman has a card of 62 wins with 39 knockouts, seven losses and two draws, while JuanMa totes 56 victories with 40 knockouts, sans draw. You can see here the difference between these two world boxing greats, and JuanMa’s inactivity will likely be a major factor when the two fight again.

There are only two boxers that I know that won world crowns at their late age of 40s: Bernard Hopkins who won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight tiara at age 48, and the famous George Foreman, (twice conqueror of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier but a victim of Muhammad Ali) who regained the heavyweight diadem at the age of 46 and retained his last heavyweight crown (World Boxing Union) at age 48 years, before succumbing to younger Shannon Briggs on November 22, 1997 at the same age of 48. Hopkins retired at age 51.

So the big question is, do you think JuanMa will eventually take on Pacman for their fifth fight assuming if the prize is upped to $200M or more? Many say ‘yes’ still others say JuanMa is a principled person. If he doesn’t accept the challenge, Pacman’s next opponent might be the 21-year-old, flamboyant Mexican-American Ryan Garcia who knocked out Filipino world prospect Romero Duno last November 2, 2019, or the IBF welterweight titleholder Errol Spence, Jr. for the WBA, IBF unification title bout. Let’s just wait and see.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: They shall be wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction; I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of serpents of the dust. DEUTERONOMY 32: 24

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