Does Manny Pacquiao Deserve a Fifth Fight With Juan Manuel Marquez?

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    Last December boxing fans finally got what they wanted in regards to the Pacquiao-Marquez fight series. We finally got a definitive winner. There were no controversies or question marks this time as was the case in the previous three encounters. What we all witnessed was unequivocally conclusive. Arguably it can be said and has been said many times by boxing fans that Juan Manuel Marquez won his first three fights with Manny Pacquiao, prompting the need for a rematch after each fight. Obviously that wasn’t the case last time. Nevertheless, because the fight exceeded most people’s expectations and ended up becoming the 2012 Fight of the Year by many boxing publications and organizations, the rumblings for a fifth fight have now arisen.

    Bob Arum, the promoter of both fighters, wants to make the fight and so does Manny Pacquiao, but it seems that Marquez just isn’t interested this time around. He feels as though he has finally closed the book on the Pacquiao-Marquez saga and that a fifth fight is not needed. He would prefer to seek out a fifth divisional title against another Pacquiao conqueror WBO Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley.

    A lot of people feel as though Marquez should fight Pacquiao first and if he should win then go after Bradley. The question that this author has is: Does Pacquiao deserve an immediate rematch? Each time Marquez failed to get the nod in their first three encounters, Pacquiao never granted him an immediate rematch. Back in 2004 he had to wait four years for a rematch then after their second fight in 2008 he had to wait three years and after the third fight in November of 2011 he had to wait a year before facing Pacquiao last December. Given the fact that Marquez repeatedly asked for immediate rematches after each controversial decision of the first three fights and never received them, why then should he extend Pacquiao the courtesy that he never received?

    The only logical reason would be money. It seems quite apparent that Marquez would stand to make much more against Pacquiao than any other foe. Obviously money is an important determining factor for a fighter when choosing an opponent. This is a business, and it’s a job just like any other occupation in life, so of course the money is important, but maybe for Juan Manuel Marquez at this stage of his career his legacy is as equally important as money. If he were to beat Bradley he would go down in history as the first Mexican born fighter to ever win titles in five different weight classes. That would be a monumental way to end a storied career.

    Often times in boxing, fans criticize fighters for choosing money over legacy, but in this case it seems like just the opposite. Marquez has given us many great fights over the course of his career, and in my opinion he has earned the right to fight whomever he chooses.