By Jhonny Gonzalez
WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez is considering his next move very carefully. There are several offers before him, including a trilogy clash with Manny Pacquiao in the fall, a title shot at IBF junior welterweight champion Zab Judah in July, and BoxingScene.com broke a bombshell on Monday when Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he was willing to match Saul "Canelo" Alvarez with Marquez.
Marquez would like to take a fight an interim-fight in July, possibly against Judah or another top boxer, to eliminate any rust before a possible Pacquiao trilogy. He resumed training at the Romanza Gym in Mexico. Marquez, a free agent, says he is likely to self-promote his next bout under his own promotional banner, Marquez Boxing.
He plans to examine all of the offers with his attorney. Marquez would like to tweak some of the terms of the deal for the Pacquiao trilogy. The main term he wants to tweak is the weight. Marquez will attempt to set a catch-weight of 144-pounds, although most don't expect this issue to become a problem. Pacquiao weighed in at 144.6 for his last bout against Antonio Margarito and the fight allowed a max of 150-pounds.
"I know Top Rank made the first offer, but I also want to try to set the conditions and reach an agreement on them. I am someone that Pacquiao, after 24 rounds, has not been able to defeat or did what he's been able to do against other opponents that he's faced. Before that, I would like to have a fight at super lightweight in July, in Mexico, under my own promotion. I want a competitive fight to allow me to get into a rhythm, and also to have something to please the people," Marquez told Sal Rodriguez.
Marquez agrees with Schaefer's comments to BoxingScene. The only fight Golden Boy can offer, that matches the money for a Pacquiao trilogy, is a fight with Canelo Alvarez. That fight would be offered at a catch-weight of 147-pounds.
"I don't think Golden Boy can match the Pacquiao offer, unless they offer a fight with Canelo Alvarez. All I can do is train, and analyze the offers and select the best one for my career - but yes, my priority is Pacquiao," Marquez said.