Juan Manuel Marquez may be close to a boxing ring return, with reports that the Mexican boxer is contemplating on a ring return in May and then again in September.
After his name popped up recently as a possible opponent for Miguel Cotto, Marquez seemed to be invigorated by the idea, although he had some stipulations in mind before possibly considering a face-off with the Puerto Rican boxer.
Aside from Cotto, Marquez' name was also initially mentioned as a possible opponent for the retirement-bound Manny Pacquiao this April.
Just the same, it seems Marquez is ready to return to the ring. He has been out since May of 2014 when he last fought and won over Mike Alvarado. Knee issues have kept "El Dinamita" in the sidelines and such was believed to be undergoing rehab during his absence.
If he does fight in May, Marquez wants it to happen in Mexico. He hinted at possibly holding the fight at the Azteca Stadium or the Mexico City Arena, although it remains to be seen who will be actually fighting.
Aside from considering Cotto, several names who hold major welterweight boxing titles have been mentioned. Marquez wants to fight boxers who hold world welterweight titles for his last two bouts.
The list includes World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Danny Garcia, International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Kell Brook, World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, and Word Boxing Administration (WBA) champion Keith Thurman.
If a title-match doesn't materialize, Marquez could consider other names as well. That includes Adrien Broner or maybe a revenge match with Timothy Bradley Jr.
Bradley handed Marquez a loss back in 2013 so a rematch could make sense. But if Marquez does consider that, it may only be feasible for September.
Bradley is Pacquiao's final opponent this April which means that his eyed May fight may have to be against someone else.
Nothing has been made official for Marquez for now. He does have a time and place already, but he is certainly not running short of possible names for his planned farewell fight.
