By Chris Robinson
While it seemed like a safe bet to assume that Manny Pacquiao was heading towards a fourth encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez this November, that may prove not to be the case after all.
Word recently spread within boxing circles that Marquez very well may have priced himself out of the fight, leaving the door wide open for Tim Bradley to jump in and pursue a rematch with Pacquiao, whom he beat in controversial fashion this past June via split-decision.
Pacquiao met recently with his promoter Bob Arum in his native Philippines to discuss his next foe, with Marquez, Bradley, and Miguel Cotto all in the running for the eight-division champion.
While tucked away at Robert Garcia's personal gym in Oxnard, California upon hearing the news on Monday afternoon, I instantly asked the respected trainer for his take on the situation and what he thought on another Pacquiao-Bradley melee.
"If that's what it is, it's going to be a good fight," Garcia told me. "Timothy Bradley gave Pacquiao a hell of a fight and now, the second one, people are going to want to watch it because a lot of people were not happy with the results. Everybody thought Pacquiao won that fight so it's going to be a very interesting fight."
Pacquiao controlled the action thoroughly during the first-half of his bout with Bradley but it was later revealed that the Palm Springs, California native had strained and pulled ligaments in his left foot as well as having suffered a badly swollen right ankle.
In Garcia's opinion, there's no question that those key injuries hampered Bradley's overall performance.
"It had to, it had to," Garcia claimed. "I think Timothy Bradley will come in even stronger and with a better game plan. That's actually a fight I'm looking forward to."
As for Marquez's stance on not accepting less than he feels he is worth, Garcia fully understands how the Mexico City legend feels.
"He deserves to get paid too," Garcia stated. "I don't know what the offers were or what he's asking for, but he's also a legend and he's had those fights against Pacquiao. I thought he beat him the last fight. He deserves to get paid."
