1 to 3 more fights for Pacquiao

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – World boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is preparing to hang his gloves, but not before one to three more fights.
“I am just 34 (years old),” said Pacquiao, indicating that he is not just about to retire from boxing.
In fact, he declared that he will return to the ring with a big bang.
The only boxer with eight different world title belts and the pound-for-pound king for many years is busy with his television show on GMA Network and his businesses in Manila and Mindanao.

Pacquiao is also focused on his work as congressman in the lone district of Sarangani province. Although he is unopposed, he is campaigning for his wife Jinky who is running for vice governor of Sarangani and his brother Rogelio who is running for congressman in the first district of South Cotabato.
And soon, he will start training again, possibly for a record fifth fight against his Mexican nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez who knocked him down during their fourth bout in Las Vegas last year.
The duel with Marquez maybe his one last fight, but if he is able to return to his old deadly form in the ring and win, Pacquiao may have two more fights and one of these fights could possibly be against undefeated American champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao declared to Lee Jimenez of TV5’s InterAksyon that he is the new Pacquiao who now lives a clean life following his religious transformation.
Pacquiao used to drink, womanize and gamble as if there’s no tomorrow but for the last 18 months, the fighting congressman mended his ways.
The last time he had a taste of alcohol was in 2011.
“I could not remember exactly when but it was in 2011,” he told InterAKTV.
After the elections in May, Pacquiao said he will give attention to his boxing career, according to the InterAKTV report.
“But as of this time, my focus is on the elections,” he said.
Pacquiao told the TV5 that he will make sure he returns with a big bang following his stunning sixth-round knockout defeat to  Marquez last December at the MGM Grand.
His promoter, Top Rank head Bob Arum, has set the fifth outing between Pacquiao and Marquez for September 14. The venue, however, has not been decided. The choices for the venue are Manila, Singapore, Macau and Dubai.
Pacquiao told InterAKTV that  he has not decided yet on the September fight with Marquez. “Wala pa (not yet),” he declared.
But Arum already wants to promote the fight and invited the two fighters to a huge show he is promoting in Macau on April 6.
Pacquiao, however, sounded cool to the idea of going to Macau, although his wife Jinkee wants them to go.
“Puro casino lang naman ang meron doon. I don’t gamble anymore,” he said as reported by Lee Jimenez.
Meanwhile, reports from Mexico showed that instead of September, the proposed fifth fight between bitter rivals Pacquiao and Marquez might be pushed back to November or December.
Marquez’s promoter Fernando Beltran said that he has been instructed by Marquez to get the most out of a deal for his next fight.
Marquez remains a hot property following his smashing sixth-round knockout of Pacquiao last December at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Beltran was quoted as saying that Marquez wants no less than $20 million for his next fight and that figure won’t be realized if he intends to fight somebody other than Pacquiao.
Only a fifth match with Pacquiao can generate such an astounding amount of response from the viewing public.
Pacquiao got a guaranteed purse of $23 million in the loss to Marquez last December and the Mexican warrior received only $6 illion.
Marquez earlier declared that he would not fight Pacquiao again.
But with a big purse, Bob Arum said he does not believe Marquez will still resist.
 One of the reasons why Marquez has been holding back from a fifth ring encounter with Pacquiao is the possibility that he could lose to the Filipino boxer, according to a boxing analyst.
According to RingTV’s Doug Fischer, the Mexican counterpuncher is aware that he might lose if he gets in the ring again with Pacquiao, according to an ABS-CBN report.
“The Mexico City technician knows that he could lose a fifth bout, maybe by knockout,” Fischer said in Dougie’s Friday Mailbag.
In his past statements, Marquez said he was not keen in fighting Pacquiao again since he already knocked out the Filipino during their fourth fight last December.
It was the Mexican’s first win against the Filipino superstar in their eight-year rivalry.
“I think for me, there is no point,” Marquez said. “We already achieved the desired result.”