38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez will be receiving the biggest payday of his career by far in his November 12th fight against Manny Pacquiao. Marquez will reportedly receive a guaranteed $5 million for the fight, while Pacquiao brings in $20 million.

In hindsight, it actually worked out to Marquez’s benefit that Pacquiao waited this long to fight him instead of giving him an immediate rematch after Pacquiao’s controversial split decision win over Marquez in 2008. Had they fought back then, Marquez would have likely had to settle for much less than what he’s getting now. It’s good money obviously and will help pad Marquez’s retirement years in Mexico now that he’s nearing the end of his career.

In an article at the Manila Bulletin, Pacquiao said he’s going to make Marquez “Bleed every cent” if his $5 million payday loot. “Marquez is getting the biggest purse by fighting me,” Pacquiao said.

Wow, it sounds like Pacquiao is almost resentful about Marquez getting good money. Pacquiao could always dragged out another one of his Top Rank teammates to fight again, like Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, if he didn’t want Marquez to get a good payday. The problem is if you want to fight the best you’ve got to be willing to pay them. That’s how it works.

Marquez is better than those guys and he’s proven it through the years. Why it took so long for Pacquiao to fight Marquez again is really the big questions. Cotto had already been badly beaten up by the time Pacquiao fought him, and Margarito was a shell of his former self by the time Pacquiao got to him. Instead of taking those fights, Pacquiao should have fought Marquez a long time ago when Marquez was still young. Now he’s old, the waist is a lot wider, the hands are slower, and he’s not what he once was. I guess it’s true that timing is everything in boxing.