Marquez vs Morales: Golden Boy Willing to Work With Top Rank to Make Fight Happen

RingTV.com reports that Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions and Todd duBoef are in talks to stage a July 14 fight at Cowboys Stadium between Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales. The fight was first brought up a few days ago, with Marquez bringing his options down to Morales and Mercito Gesta, but with Morales still owing Golden Boy fights on his current deal, and Marquez promoted by Top Rank right now, it was a big question as to whether or not the fight could get done.

I assumed there was a shot that GBP would actually let Morales, now 34 and with limited upside following a loss to Danny Garcia in March, out of his deal to pursue the fight with Marquez, if only because Golden Boy doesn't have a lot to gain from Morales going forward, and it could very well be the Mexican legend's last fight, period.

But it sounds like the two companies may be willing to actually co-promote this thing.

"Morales wants to fight Marquez," said Schaefer. "And I have been talking to Todd duBoef over the past few days, and we are trying to find a way to see if we can get that fight done."

Marquez vs Morales is the only fight of the great featherweight four-some (Marquez, Morales, Pacquiao, Barrera) to have never happened, and though it's certainly past its prime date by years, and likely could have done much better being promoted last fall, it's probably a fight that a lot of people would still like to see.

Cliff Rold at BoxingScene.com even compared the fight at this point to the Roy Jones Jr vs Tito Trinidad fight from 2008, which was a dud at Madison Square Garden due to the promoters grossly overpricing tickets, but did sell 500,000 on PPV, even though by then both men were badly faded versions of themselves. Marquez-Morales likely would not do a 500K PPV, but would easily turn a profit, one suspects.