Sulaiman: "Pacquiao-Marquez Trilogy Unlikely"
Mar 18, 2008 • 12:00 AM ET
By James Blears
WBC President Jose Sulaiman says that a third thriller between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is unlikely and the reason boils down to styles.
No other Mexican boxer has presented such a stern sustained test for the Filipino superstar, and Don Jose says a third clash probably isn’t on the cards, or in the stars. He suggested: “I doubt it because Manny doesn’t want to do that. I believe that since their first fight, Manny Pacquiao, understood that the style of Juan Manuel Marquez is not the style that he can be at ease with. That it’s not for him. It’s a very difficult style.”
That said, Erik Morales fought both Manny Pacquiao, and Marco Antonio Barrera three times, while Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez thrilled the world of boxing three times. Similarly, Don Jose says he would like to see Manny and Juan Manuel fight again. He commented: “I hope they do agree to a third fight. We would support it 100%.
“If they asked for an immediate rematch, I believe that the whole Board of Governors would accept it. I would love to see a rematch. The world would love to see a rematch. But I understand that Top Rank has already signed a fight for Manny Pacquiao to challenge the WBC lightweight Champion David Diaz.
“Juan Manuel Marquez has to follow the opinion of the promoter that handles Manny Pacquiao. This is not what both boxers want to do. This is what the promoters want to do.”
It’s also a question of rules, because the fight just gone, was a mandatory defense. That means that the Manny as the new champion, has one year to make his mandatory defense.
However, it’s also common knowledge that Manny Pacquiao isn’t comfortably making the Super Featherweight limit any more. If Juan Manuel Marquez is to succeed in the rematch quest he’s seeking, and the two are to ever contest round twenty-five, it’d more than likely have to be in the lightweight realm.
Don Jose added that the WBC is tremendously proud of Juan Manuel and Rafael Marquez’s extraordinary achievements and the sanctioning body is going to arrange a meal to honor them.
