Juan Manuel Marquez welcomes a 5th fight with Manny Pacquiao

Ever since Juan Manuel Marquez put Manny Pacquiao to sleep on December 8, 2012 with a right hand from hell, he has been telling anyone who would listen that he was finished with Pacquiao. He had put his exclamation point on the series and couldn't possibly have ended it any better. Or so it seemed.

According to a report from Lance Pugmire at the LA TImes, Marquez has recently experienced a change of heart when it comes to facing Pacquiao for an unprecedented (in modern boxing terms) fifth time. Money will do that. Oh, wait that's not the reason. I'm sorry.

Marquez's promoter Fernando Beltran:

"He wants the challenge of the Bradley - Pacquiao winner, he wants to make history of a fifth world title in five divisions. If Pacquiao wins he'll have the belt and, Juan wants it."

According to the article, Bob Arum is excited about this. I bet.

Marquez had been very firm about wanting a rematch with Timothy Bradley and nothing else. I think most people assumed that he would eventually come around to being open for another fight with Pacquiao, but it certainly took a long time for it to come out. If Pacquiao wins, the money for a fifth bout with would be huge, especially considering that Marquez won via KO the last time out. One would figure that he gets a bigger piece of the pie, but we never know in boxing.

Should Bradley emerge victorious on April 12, a rematch between he and Marquez would also be a definite PPV in the fall. Bradley took home a close decision over Marquez last October. BUT , thankfully, Bradley knows deep inside his heart that he lost.