Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez 5 Ruled Out, Pacman To Face Either Timothy Bradley Or Ruslan Provodnikov
- Paul John Rivera
- Dec 26, 2013 12:58 PM EST
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Members of Manny Pacquiao's camp recently conceded that the fifth fight between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez will not happen after the Mexican boxing icon turned down the proposed rematch.
Michael Koncz, the longtime adviser of Pacquiao, told the Los Angeles Times that Marquez is no longer an option for the Filipino boxing icon's next fight in April, saying that Marquez will never fight Pacquiao again.
Marquez, who previously said that the Pacquiao chapter of his career is already over, scored a sensational victory over Pacquiao in their fourth showdown, knocking Pacquiao out cold in December 2012.
The 40-year-old Mexican said that a fifth showdown makes no sense because his sixth-round knockout win already settled the debate on who the better fighter is.
"Marquez will never fight us again," Koncz admitted. "Why would he? He has bragging rights and all the money he wants."
Marquez is planning to fight two more times in 2014 before hanging up his gloves.
Zanfer promotions chief Fernando Beltran recently said that the former four-division champion is looking to fight in Mexico City against a yet-to-be-named fighter in the first half of 2014 before arranging a rematch with Timothy Bradley, who scored a split decision win against the Mexican last October.
As for Pacquiao's next fight, Koncz revealed that the former pound-for-pound king has to choose between Bradley and reigning WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov.
The Provodnikov bout is highly unlikely, considering the fact that the Russian champion is a former sparring partner and good friend of Pacquiao. The 29-year-old champion is also under Freddie Roach, who previously said that he will not let Pacquiao and Provodnikov go up against each other.
Bradley is expected to be Pacquiao's top option since the former eight-division champion is looking to avenge his controversial defeat to the undefeated American in their WBO welterweight showdown in June 2012.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is obviously on their list, but the reigning pound-for-pound king is still uninterested in facing Pacquiao. Mayweather actually posted a photo on his Twitter account recently, mocking the 35-year-old Filipino boxing star.
"At least Floyd's thinking of us in some way," Koncz said when asked to comment on Mayweather's tweet. "I smiled when I saw it last night and I'll show it to Manny when I get to the Philippines."
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