FILE: Juan Manuel Marquez celebrates his victory over Mike Alvarado at The Forum on May 17, 2014 in Inglewood, California. Jeff Gross/Getty Images/AFP
Juan Manuel Marquez hasn’t fought since he beat Mike Alvarado in May 2014, but the Mexican boxing star could make his ring return soon possibly against fellow former Manny Pacquiao opponent in Miguel Cotto.
A potential bout between former champions surfaced after Cotto’s trainer Freddie Roach tagged Marquez as “a perfect opponent” for his ward’s next fight after he lost to Canelo Alvarez via unanimous decision two months ago.
Marquez’s trainer Nacho Beristain isn’t worried about his prized fighter taking on Cotto right away despite his inactivity the past 20 months due to a nagging knee injury.
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“[Marquez] has never closed the door [on fighting again] and he’s made no decision to retire from boxing,” Beristain told Fox Deportes as posted on boxingscene.com.
“I have not spoken with Juan Manuel for three months, but I know him and he’s never had any problems with inactivity. He can still return straight to training.”
Beristain likes the 42-year-old Marquez’s chances against Cotto. He also thinks Marquez doesn’t need any tuneups before plunging back into action versus a caliber of a fighter like Cotto.
“I do not rule out [this version of Marquez] being capable of fighting against Cotto. If [Marquez] returns to the ring, I don’t think it is unreasonable to do it with an opponent of that level. It would be a good fight, given their styles.”