FUNNY how Pacquiao-Marquez 5, almost a certainty less than a week ago, has suddenly appeared headed for the rocks after the Mexican legend known as Dinamita scored a masterful conquest of former world champion Mike Alvarado.
Didn’t they bill the Marquez-Alvarado bout as an elimination for the challenger to Manny Pacquiao, the newly reinstated WBO welterweight champion?
In a snap, Top Rank has been proposing rock-hard Ruslan Provodnikov, reigning WBO light welterweight titlist, for Pacquiao’s foe in his next bout booked in Macau this November.
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For the record, Pacquiao-Marquez 5 soared as the hottest bout in the boxing horizon after the latest thumping dealt the dream fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Himself speaking, the respected Jim Lampley said a fifth edition of the Pacquiao-Marquez fiery duel should shine as another classic, rich in combative craft and competence.
Naturally, there was astonishment after Marquez, poised to go for a fifth division world title win, suddenly turned cold after having put up a splendid performance in winning the supposed eliminator (over Alvarado).
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Something untoward had obviously happened in the backdoor negotiations.
A ready suspect was, of course, the size of the purse offered for Marquez’s next fight.
Bob Arum errand boy Michael Koncz swore Marquez, after having agreed to a measly $1.4-million take in the Alvarado bout, should be happy enough with less than $5 million in his next outing under Top Rank.
As a result, Marquez asked to be allowed to relax and enjoy his family, before announcing his next plan.
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Meanwhile, chief Marquez handler Nacho Beristain, all too silent before the Alvarado outing, suddenly repeated his old refrain about the uselessness of a fifth encounter with Pacquiao.
There was nothing more to prove, Beristain stressed.
There are however other troublesome factors that should be tackled.
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For Top Rank, it should give due respect to Marquez by paying a bigger purse which he deserves.
Knowing Arum, they should be able to clear the dollar hump in no time.
The bigger problem could be with Team Marquez itself.
There’s a published suspicion that Marquez’s chief trainer did stress his refusal for another bout with Pacquiao following a reported demand for random drug testing in the next Top Rank mainer slated in Macau in November.
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It was not clear if the demand for the random blood and urine tests came from Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach.
Anyway, they owe it to Marquez to clear the air once and for all.
By allowing Marquez to do combat against Pacquiao in November, while agreeing to random drug testing which was never done in the Marquez-Alvarado bout, Beristain would also help disperse growing suspicion that Marquez had profited subnormally from the assistance of the expert performance enhancer Memo Heredia in several past bouts, including the one in December 2012 against Pacquiao.
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Heredia, who was not around when Marquez lost to Timothy Bradley last year, had been observed to be quite visible in the Marquez camp in the run-up to last week’s clash with Alvarado.
Arum paying the right purse and Beristain agreeing to random drug testing, are two moves that should give Marquez, a living legend and future Hall of Famer, the respect boxing owes him.