Arum: Marquez to explore other opponents

MANILA, Philippines – Juan Manuel Marquez will surely fight again. The only question is who.

Top Rank chief Bob Arum said Marquez, whose stock just rose following his stirring sixth round knockout of archrival Manny Pacquiao last December, is also looking at other opponents, indicating that a rematch with Pacquiao in September is not yet set in stone.

"Marquez said he will continue to fight. That's what he wants to do," Arum said in a report by ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael. "He thought about it after the Pacquiao fight and decided he wants to keep fighting.”

Marquez, according to Arum, will be keeping an eye on Timothy Bradley Jr.'s welterweight title defense against Ruslan Provodnikov on March 16 in Carson, Calif., and the rematch between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado on March 30 in Las Vegas.

"He wants to see Bradley with Provodnikov and he wants to see Rios and Alvarado," Arum said of Marquez. "And then we'll have a discussion on what his options are."

The Mexican counterpuncher will definitely make far less money against those fighters than he will in a Pacquiao rematch, and Arum said Marquez is fully aware of it.

"Marquez said he's interested in fighting all of them, but he'll know who he is interested in more after watching them fight," Arum said.

Marquez was guaranteed $6 million in his fourth fight with Pacquiao and is reportedly asking for $20 million in the September rematch.

"We never discussed money. All he said was, 'I know I can make more money fighting Pacquiao than against the other guys,' and that was the extent of the monetary discussions,” the ageless promoter added.

For his part, Arum is pushing for a fifth fight for obvious financial reasons. Nevertheless, the Top Rank boss is also open to the possibility of Pacquiao and Marquez going different ways.

"Whatever he and Manny want to do, I'm for it. If it's another Pacquiao-Marquez fight, fine. If it's that they fight somebody else, fine," he said.