Should Manny Pacquiao’s Next Fight Be Against Juan Manuel Marquez In 2014?

Juan Manuel Marquez is the favorite to be Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent, but it’s still undecided who PacMan will take on in his next fight.

After Pacquiao defeated Timothy Bradley on April 12, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum announced that the winner of the fight between Marquez and Mike Alvarado would likely go on to face the new WBO welterweight champ. More than two weeks after Marquez’s victory, the 40-year-old has yet to agree to a fifth fight with Pacquiao.

“Manny has a number of options for fighting in November, on the 22nd and we will announce shortly who he is going to be fighting,” Arum told World Boxing News. “Whether it’s Marquez, or somebody else will become clear in the next couple of weeks.”

Some in Marquez’s camp have stated that they don’t think the 40-year-old should fight Pacquiao one more time. Marquez’s trainer, Nacho Beristain, has been very outspoken, claiming that he has nothing left to prove against Pacquiao. After one draw and two losses against his chief rival, Marquez finally got the better of Pacquiao in December 2012.

“I do not care who is angry, but I will do everything possible to prevent Juan Manuel Marquez from stepping in the ring with Pacquiao for a fifth time,” Beristain said, via Boxing Scene.

If Marquez doesn’t take the fight, there are plenty of options for Pacquiao. According to Arum, Ruslan Provodnikov and Carlos Abreu would be candidates for the Nov. 22 fight.

Danny Garcia could also be Pacquiao’s next opponent, assuming he remains with Golden Boy Promotions. The 26-year-old is undefeated, and Pacquiao might have to drop down to 140 pounds to make the fight happen. Golden Boy’s Amir Khan could be under consideration, as well.

Even though Pacquiao has already beaten Marquez twice, he has some unfinished business with his rival. The perception of Pacquiao as boxing’s top pound-for-pound fighter, behind only Floyd Mayweather, began to change when Marquez knocked him out in the sixth round of their bout. Pacquiao has already gotten revenge from his controversial loss to Bradley in June 2012. In November, he can make up for his most recent loss with Pacquiao-Marquez V.

"That's something I would like," trainer Freddie Roach told Boxing Scene, in regards to another rematch with Marquez. "I thought Marquez looked good in the [Alvarado] fight. He fought well. He looked a lot stronger than he did in his last fight but I don't hear any negotiations going on about that fight."

Pacquiao’s next fight is scheduled to take place in Macau, China. He defeated Brandon Rios in Macau in November 2013 by unanimous decision.