MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez no longer have unfinished business to settle.
This is the firm stance of Marquez’s trainer Nacho Beristain, who has expressed his disapproval of a fifth meeting between his ward and Pacquiao.
In a report by Salvador Rodriguez of boxingscene.com, Beristain vowed oppose another Pacquiao-Marquez clash through whatever means possible.
“I do not care who is angry, but I will do everything possible to prevent Juan Manuel Marquez from stepping in the ring with Pacquiao for a fifth time,†the trainer said.
Pacquiao and Marquez have already fought four times, but only their last meeting had a conclusive result after the Mexican knocked the Filipino out cold in the sixth round in December 2012.
Talks of a fifth meeting between the two archrivals have gained steam after Pacquiao and Marquez pulled off separate wins recently. Pacquiao outpointed Timothy Bradley last month for the WBO welterweight title, while Marquez dominated Mike Alvarado last May 17 to become the No. 1 contender to Pacquiao’s belt.
While Marquez has remained non-committal about facing Pacquiao again, Top Rank Inc. chief Bob Arum is confident a fight could be staged in Macau this November. The Mexican wants to win a fifth world title in as many divisions, having won championships at featherweight, super featherweight lightweight and super lightweight.
Pacquiao, for his part, is willing to give his rival a shot at achieving that goal in exchange for a chance at payback for the knockout loss Marquez dealt him.
But Beristain is all against it.
“I know the desire of Juan Manuel Marquez and myself, to conquer a fifth division, but it should not be against Pacquiao," he stressed.
Beristain believes Marquez’s legacy is secured and won’t get any better with another fight against Pacquiao.
"If it were up to me, he (Marquez) would not do a fifth fight. He has nothing to prove, people will remember him for what he's done in his career, for giving the people big fights, for having faced the best of his time," he ended.