Juan Manuel Marquez is not ready to make a decision on whether or not he will face Manny Pacquiao for the fifth time, but Top Rank Promotions boss Bob Arum is confident that he can make the fight happen.
In an interview with BoxingScene, Arum said that Marquez asked for time to make a decision, but the famed promoter expressed optimism that the Pacquiao-Marquez 5 will happen in November in Macau.
"I'm fairly confident," Arum said of Pacquiao vs Marquez 5. "It's up to him. It really is. Manny wants the fight. I think that there is a lot of money in the fight, so we'll see."
Marquez proved that he still has a lot of gas left in his tank on Saturday night when he scored a dominating unanimous decision win over Mike Alvarado in the Mexican's return to The Forum in Los Angeles.
With the win, Marquez became the mandatory challenger to Pacquiao's WBO welterweight title. The 40-year-old Mexican is interested in Pacquiao's world title because he is looking to become the first Mexican to win five titles in five different weight classes.
But when asked about the fifth fight with his Filipino rival, Marquez insisted that he is not yet ready to commit, but he admitted that he is facing a difficult and hard decision that he needs to think of for a long period of time.
"I think we need to rest first and make a decision with a cool head and be with my family," Marquez said. "After that we'll see what's next. Before I make a decision and say I want the fifth fight I want to think it over very well. I think it's going to be a difficult and hard decision but we have to think it over."
But from Arum's standpoint, Marquez will eventually agree to face Pacquiao, knowing that it would be his last chance to get a big-money bout.
Arum said that he is planning to include two-time Olympic champion Zou Shiming in the Pacquiao-Marquez 5 fight card, and he is confident that the card will do good numbers, not only in the United States, but also in China.
"This time in November we already got everything going for pay-per-view in China," Arum said. "We have Zou Shiming fighting for a title, Manny, it will be a big card. Sunday morning is an ideal time for pay-per-view in China."
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