by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum will have dinner with Juan Manuel Marquez on Wednesday to discuss a planned fifth fight against Manny Pacquiao sometime in September.

Arum told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard “we have to figure what the deal is.”

When reminded that Marquez who scored a crushing 6th round knockout over Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last December 8 had said he believes there was no need to fight Pacquiao for a fifth time and would prefer facing Brando “Bam Bam” Rios, Arum said “he is not negotiating with me. He is negotiating with Manny (Pacquiao).”

Arum disclosed that he had met with Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz and they “went over everything.”

At the same time Arum told us a fifth Pacquiao-Marquez fight “will not necessarily be held outside the United States” in reference to the huge tax bite that Pacquiao’s camp had expressed concern about.

Arum said “we’ll run the numbers. In other words we have to take everything into account and see where the most money is for everybody” even as he indicated “its obvious more money will be made fighting in the US.”

The astute Top Rank promoter noted that there is a 20 to 39 percent tax but the difference for Manny is he gets credit for the US taxes against his Philippine taxes.”

Arum said Pacquiao “has to find out what the economic differences are and if it’s a little then its obvious where he should fight.”