MANILA, Philippines — It’s time for Manny Pacquiao to look for a new dancing partner.
After doing the tango with Juan Manuel Marquez three times, the Filipino has no choice but to dump the Mexican in favor of the flashy Floyd Mayweather Jr., a prominent figure inside Team Pacquiao said recently.
Cebu kingmaker Wakee Salud, who has been at ringside in Pacquiao’s US fights dating back to 2005, said a more lucrative trilogy awaits Pacquiao once he decides to abandon plans to face Marquez for the fourth time.
“Because this fight is so big, there’s going to be a rematch whatever happens in the first fight,” said Salud. “And the rematch could also lead to a rubber match.”
“Manny has nothing to prove anymore with Marquez as he has beaten him twice,” Salud said.
Pacquiao is coming off a close 12-round majority decision over Marquez but despite the win, his reputation has been affected and leading boxing media entities like Yahoo! Sports, ESPN and Sports Illustrated have demoted him to the No. 2 spot in their respective pound-for-pound rankings.
Only The Ring magazine has retained Pacquiao – barely – as its No. 1 fighter on the elite list.
Meanwhile, Marquez’s belief that he had been robbed by the judges was solidified further after he watched the video of the fight in Mexico City.
Marquez told fight scribe Salvador Rodriguez of Record that he is “even more convinced” of his win over Pacquiao last week at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Marquez added: “I beat him again and he knows that I did.”
And this is probably the reason why Top Rank chief Bob Arum is pushing for a fourth fight set for May 2012 even though key members of Pacquiao’s team are already talking about fighting Mayweather instead.
Source: mb.com.ph
