Juan Manuel Marquez is content with his choice to walk away from a massive offer to face Manny Pacquiao after his retirement.
Much has been said since Marquez decided to hang up his gloves and reject a multi-million dollar purse to battle career nemesis Pacquiao for a fifth time.
The Mexican superstar, dependent on what part you believe of what Marquez previously states, has turned down offers of $100 and $150 million to trade blows with the Filipino.
Most recently, Marquez stated it was the latter. An offer he rejected out of hand. But it was an interview with ESPN where ‘JMM’ fully revealed why the encounter would never happen.
Juan Manuel Marquez turned down Manny Pacquiao
Taking pride from his crushing sixth-round obliteration of Pacquiao in 2012, Marquez had too much pain in his heart from the first three meetings.
Therefore, when he finally got his revenge, that feeling massively outweighed any monetary incentives.
Previously, Marquez had felt robbed in all three contests, ending in two wafer-thin ‘Pacman’ wins and a draw. All controversial.
Speaking about Pacquiao when happily into his retirement, Marquez was adamant regarding his situation.
“There was an offer for a fifth fight against Pacquiao in the Philippines for 100 million dollars. I refused to keep my honor and the glory of the fourth fight from 2012,” Marquez revealed to ESPN Deportes.
“It’s a lot of money. But honor, pride, and what we did is more important than doing a fifth fight.”
The veteran added, “Let’s pretend that the fifth fight would happen. How about if I get robbed in the fight?
“We do not know what can happen. He can hit me with the right shot and hurt me badly.
“So I would place myself at risk. The glory and what we did in 2012 is worth more than that amount they were offering.”
Pacquiao wants to fight again
Since the Pacquiao saga, Marquez has turned his hand to punditry work after hanging up his gloves following a win over Mike Alvarado.
In contrast, the Filipino Senator continues to want to fight after being one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet for over two decades.
A 2020 win over Keith Thurman has kept Pacquiao relevant into his forties. However, he lost to Yordenis Ugas in 2021 and fell out of the reckoning.
In 2023, Pacquiao will be 45 and massively long in the tooth for any of the top fifteen contenders. Therefore, the risk to his legacy is significant.
That’s unlike Marquez. He got out at the right time and stood firm on his decision.
