Manny due today; 5th fight Marquez call

HOLLYWOOD – Fallen Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao comes home today in a nation in grief following his devastating sixth round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Saturday.

Meanwhile, an official of Team Pacquiao said that a fifth fight between the two fighters will only take place if the Mexican can manage to keep his feet on the ground.

If Marquez asks for the moon following his smashing knockout of Pacquiao, then it’s not going to happen.

“If they come to us with a reasonable offer, we can always entertain Marquez,” said Pacquiao’s chief adviser, Michael Koncz.

Pacquiao left for Manila with his wife Jinkee, their families and friends Monday evening. Before leaving for the airport, Pacquiao vowed to return to the ring.

“Don’t worry. We will rise again,” said the congressman who will turn 34 on Dec. 17.

Following his scary knockout in the hands of Marquez, there were renewed calls for Pacquiao to retire, particularly the one from the boxer’s mother, Dionisia.

But it seems Pacquiao isn’t done yet despite taking his second straight loss following a controversial decision to Tim Bradley last June.

It was the first time in Pacquiao’s 16-year-career he took back-to-back losses. It was his first knockout since 1996 and third overall.

If Pacquiao didn’t have the intention to fight again, Koncz wouldn’t have talked about the possibility of a fifth fight with the 39-year-old Mexican.

“If they come to us with a reasonable offer, we can always entertain Marquez as long as Marquez’ team doesn’t get a swollen head just because he knocked us out,” said Koncz.

“I don’t think that losing is a key ingredient. It’s how you lost. We were winning every round of the fight,” said the adviser to the ex-pound-for-pound champion.

But of course that was before Marquez, who floored Pacquiao in the third round but was knocked down himself in the fifth, knocked Pacquiao out in the 2:59 mark of the sixth round.

“So if they come back to us now and say ‘we knocked you out so we deserve the lion’s share,’ another fight will never happen again.

“We were dominating the fight but we give Marquez credit and he got Manny with a good punch but that doesn’t mean that they can dictate or that they can come in now and get the lion’s share,” said Koncz.

For the meantime, Pacquiao just wants to come home for the birthday of his son this week, and his own on Dec. 17. On Dec. 19, the Pacquiaos, in a group of 48 persons, fly to Israel for a Christmas vacation.

Koncz said they will only entertain a Marquez fight if the offer is reasonable.

“If they are reasonable, and if they want to do the fight on the same terms, we might entertain it. Otherwise, there is Brandon Rios and a couple of other guys we can look at,” he said.

“But we haven’t really discussed it. There’s no rush to decide on anything. It’s Christmas time,” Koncz added.