The now-legendary four-fight rivalry between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez almost had a fifth fight, but all the money in the world couldn't convince Marquez to accept another fight against the Philippines superstar.
It's been about five years since the conclusion of the fourth fight, where Marquez scored one of the most shocking knockouts in recent memory against Pacquiao, getting that elusive first win in their rivalry. But in an interview with ESPN Deportes, Marquez revealed that not only did he turn down a fifth fight against Pacquiao, but also an astronomical paycheck of $100 million for that fight.
"There was an offer for a fifth fight against Pacquiao in the Philippines for $100 million, and I refused in order to keep my honor and the glory of the fourth fight from 2012. It's a lot of money - but honor, pride and what we did is more important than doing a fifth fight," Marquez said.
The rivalry between Marquez and Pacquiao stems all the way back to 2004, when their first fight, Marquez's first as the unified WBA and IBF featherweight champion, ended in a split draw. What followed from that fight is a series of pay-per-view bouts that has had nearly three million pay-per-view buys. Pacquiao won the second and third fights while Marquez got his first win in the series in their fourth and final fight.
While Pacquiao is still fighting, albeit on a limited schedule, Marquez announced his retirement earlier this year, officially ending any chance of a fifth fight between the two ever happening.
