Manny Pacquiao Gains Nothing from Fighting Marquez a Fourth Time

The boxing world wants a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

They don't care how it is done—it is what they want.

Apparently that is not what Pacquiao and his camp want though.

A recent report from ESPN.com quotes Top Rank owner Bob Arum, saying:

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"We are pursuing a fourth fight with Marquez. As far as doing anything definitively, we aren't ready to do anything definitively. When we are ready to make a determination of what we are going to do, we will do it. We are not going to do this in the press. We will do what is in the best interest of ourselves and our client and make a decision when it's time to.

"If we decide we want to do a rematch with Marquez, there is no reason to sit down with Mayweather. If we want to explore a Mayweather fight, we will sit down with them. But I'm not going to sit down with them just because it's a good show."

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The report also quotes Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s adviser Leonard Ellerbe talking about Arum, trainer Freddie Roach and Pacquiao as being scared:

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"But before we can get started (on a Pacquiao fight), Top Rank doesn't even want to listen. They're not even interested in Floyd Mayweather. They want no part of Floyd Mayweather. They have no interest in the little fella fighting Floyd. Manny Pacquiao needs to stand up, in my opinion, and tell his promoter that he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather next and stop hiding behind his promoter."

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For once, the Mayweather camp is right.

What does Pacquiao stand to gain from a fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez?

Sure, a knockout would be nice and it would give him the definitive win over Marquez that he failed to achieve this time around, but doing so at the expense of a Mayweather fight is a step backward.

We have no reason to believe a fourth fight with Marquez won't end the exact same way the second or third fights did.

Turning back to Marquez now is also a sign of weakness. It was Marquez who campaigned and pleaded for a third shot at Pac-Man.

For Pacquiao to turn around and hold the ropes open for a rematch shows he isn't nearly as convinced in his win as he'd like to be and that he doesn't want to fight Mayweather.

It is one thing if negotiations break down again; it is another to blow them off entirely.

The risk of Manny Pacquiao even losing to Marquez is something his camp cannot defend. Giving his Mexican rival a fourth fight before fighting Mayweather isn't just wrong, it's foolish.

The world's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter gains nothing from stepping back into the ring with Marquez.

There is only one fight out there for him, and it unfortunately looks like he is the one ducking it this time.