Juan Manuel Marquez throws a right hand at Mike Alvarado at The Forum on May 17, 2014 in Inglewood, California. (Photo : Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
The Miguel Cotto vs Juan Manuel Marquez fight has been drawing a lot of interest over the past several weeks. However, the Mexico vs Puerto Rico boxing rivalry match between the two superstars might not happen at all.
Marquez told ESPN Deportes that he has been hearing demands from Cotto and his camp in recent weeks, Boxing News 24 reported. The Mexican boxing warriors reiterated that he is aching to get a shot at Cotto, knowing that fight fans are also eager to watch the showdown.
However, Marquez revealed that Cotto and his camp are requiring a catch-weight of 150 pounds. The former world champion said that he is not open to fighting at 150 since he has not fought over 144.5 pounds for his entire career. If they fail to solve the weight issue, the 42-year-old said that he will likely retire for good.
"We are analyzing and seeing what's more appropriate," Marquez was quoted as saying. "If not, then we'll probably retire. It's not an obsession to fight Cotto."
Marquez, who owns a 56-7-1 record with 40 knockout victories, has not fought since his unanimous decision victory over Mike Alvarado in May 2014. He had several comeback attempts but failed to recover from nagging knee issues. The Mexico City native recently said that his knees are responding well and he feels ready to make a comeback.
On the other hand, Cotto is looking to prove that he still has a lot of gas left in his tank. The 35-year-old superstar took a unanimous decision loss to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in his most recent fight in November last year.
The Caguas, Puerto Rico native has also expressed desire to face Marquez, but no deal is imminent at this point. Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum recently told BoxingScene that the Miguel Cotto vs Juan Manuel Marquez fight is hard to make because both fighters are demanding for lucrative paychecks.
"The real problem is, they've been spoiled - both of them - Cotto by getting all of these tremendous purses and Marquez made all of this money fighting Pacquiao," Arum said. "So to get them to fight with modest guarantees against the percent is almost impossible."
Check out Juan Manuel Marquez's career highlights below.
