An inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame could have been set to lace up the gloves again to face Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao made a shock return to the sport earlier this year, when at the age of 46 he challenged Mario Barrios for his WBC welterweight title.
Despite it being nearly four years since his last professional bout, and six years since his last victory, ‘PacMan’ competed with Barrios throughout the entire bout, as it ended in a majority decision draw.
The Filipino icon now appears to be on the verge of announcing a clash against WBA welterweight champion Rolly Romero in January, but a boxing legend has revealed that they were recently offered the chance to face Pacquiao.
Speaking to Izquierdazo, four-weight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez claimed he received an offer to take on Pacquiao, but declined due to it being an exhibition.
“Look, they told me they want to do an exhibition, but do you think it’s going to be an exhibition with him? It’s never going to be an exhibition. And what about the two-minute rounds? We’re going to kill each other, better to leave it like this…”
Pacquiao and Marquez met four times throughout their legendary careers, with the first bout ending in a draw, before the next two were then won narrowly by Pacquiao on points.
Marquez claimed an emphatic victory in the fourth and final meeting though, knocking ‘PacMan’ out cold in the sixth round of their battle in December 2012.
The final fight of Marquez’s career came in May 2014, with his final record standing at 56 wins, 7 defeats, and 1 draw.
