Manny Pacquiao Juan Marquez
Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Márquez could be on course for a fifth meeting. Reuters

Coming off an impressive decision victory over Timothy Bradley Jr. in which he recaptured the welterweight world title, 35-year-old Filipino Manny Pacquiao is now looking ahead to the next opportunity he’ll get to step inside the ropes. With strong career victories over Brandon Rios, Juan Manuel Márquez (twice), Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto among others, the eight-division world champion continues to impress on multiple levels but despite his success, many fans of the sport are still yearning for Pac-Man to step into the ring against undefeated Floyd Mayweather Junior, including current trainer and Hall of Famer Freddie Roach.

“I've thought about it so much, I've had dreams about that fight,” Roach said recently. “The pool's very small for both guys. Somewhere they're going to have to fight each other. Obviously, Mayweather is very good at what he does. I'm not saying that would be an easy fight. We'd have to come up with a great game plan. We'd have to really stick to it to win that fight. He has some flaws. Nobody is perfect out there. If we could draw those flaws out and take advantage of them, we'd be in a good spot. I still pick Manny to win that fight. Everybody here would like to see that happen sooner rather than later.”

Pacquiao and Mayweather were considered to be the top fighters in the world during the 2009 and 2010 campaigns but were never able to come to terms on a showdown. After holding strong disagreements regarding pre-fight blood testing, the fight has still not taken place and even though many want to see it, this fight can probably be considered a ‘pipe dream.’ Despite the fact that Pac-Man and Money Mayweather have not been able to organize what would surely be a top-selling event, Pacquiao and his trainer could tango with a fighter both have grown extremely familiar with.

Squaring off against Juan Manuel Márquez four times throughout his illustrious career, Manny Pacquiao has recorded two wins against one draw and a defeat but now that he possesses his title once again, Márquez may be interested in another shot at the Filipino. Proclaiming in the past that one of his goals is to become the first Mexican fighter to win titles in five separate weight classes, the 40-year-old four-division champion could have Pacquiao on his radar according to Roach.

“There's a fight in L.A., at the Forum, between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado on May 17, and the winner is a natural opponent next for Manny,” Roach said. “We'd [meaning Pacquiao’s team] love to fight Floyd Mayweather next, but at this point it seems next to impossible, with the promoters and the networks further apart. I'd like Marquez next, we owe him something. I hope he wins, and he should win that fight against Alvarado.”

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