http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=33525
If Manny Pacquiao doesn’t fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. next, he should face Juan Manuel Marquez a third time.
From historical and competitive perspectives, Mexico’s Marquez absolutely should be Pacquiao’s Plan B if the biggest fight in boxing cannot be made due to Mayweather’s legal predicament or whichever reason Mayweather offers for not opposing Pacquiao. Assuming Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t come off in the first half of 2011, it’s obvious at this point that former three-division champion Shane Mosley is the front-runner to land a pay-per-view fight against Pacquiao.
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said this week that Pacquiao could fight as early as April 16, though that will depend on Pacquiao’s still-to-be-determined congressional schedule in the Philippines. His next fight also could occur May 7, since the first Saturday in May has become a prime pay-per-view date for HBO Sports in recent years, even when Mexican or Mexican-American fighters aren’t involved in the main event.
Arum will leave next week for the Philippines, where he’ll help Pacquiao celebrate his 32nd birthday Dec. 17. He’ll also present Pacquiao with his options during that trip and afford Pacquiao some time to make up his mind.
Unlike last December, it’s clear Pacquiao wants to meet Mayweather to finally settle their pound-for-pound debate in the ring. Making that fight doesn’t seem realistic this time around, so here’s a look at Pacquiao’s options. (We included Mayweather, just in case.)
1. Shane Mosley
Age: 39
Record: 46-6-1, 39 KOs, 1 NC
Hometown: Pomona, Calif.
Why he might fight Pacquiao: Other than Mayweather, he is the most established star in this group. Pay-per-view fights often are as much about name recognition as anything else, as Arum’s Top Rank Inc. proved when Pacquiao’s lopsided victory over besmirched former welterweight champ Antonio Margarito drew roughly 1.15 million buys last month. Mosley also is a bigger man than Pacquiao, has a granite chin and could present problems with what’s left of his speed.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: Mayweather dominated Mosley after showing some real resolve by surviving the worst trouble of his 14-year pro career during the second round of their May 1 fight in Las Vegas. Mosley did enough to earn a victory over Sergio Mora on Sept. 18 in Los Angeles, but his first fight after Mayweather beat him ended in a draw and didn’t exactly amount to an inspiring performance. Fight fans aren’t overly excited about the prospect of this fight, but that might not matter because the Margarito mismatch did such big business.
2. Andre Berto
Age: 27
Record: 27-0, 21 KOs
Hometown: Winter Haven, Fla.
Why he might fight Pacquiao: He is a young, powerful puncher who also is bigger than Pacquiao. Berto also possesses some of the speed and athleticism most boxing observers believe could give Pacquiao more trouble than any of his past six opponents.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: While unbeaten and heavily exposed by HBO, he isn’t nearly the star Mosley is. He’s not a ticket-seller, his fights on HBO haven’t drawn exceptional ratings and despite his admirable work in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, he won’t bring as much to the potential promotion’s ‘B’ side as someone like Mosley or Marquez. Maybe more important, despite his unblemished record and eight straight HBO appearances, Berto hasn’t been tested by anyone on the elite level. New York’s Luis Collazo, perhaps the best boxer he has faced, almost beat Berto in a 12-round WBC welterweight title fight nearly two years ago (116-111, 114-113, 114-113). Collazo is left-handed, but that’s about all he has in common with Pacquiao.
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
Age: 37
Record: 52-5-1, 38 KOs
Hometown: Mexico City
Why he might fight Pacquiao: They have unfinished business. Marquez was the last opponent to truly test Pacquiao, who defeated Marquez by a debatable split decision in March 2008 in Las Vegas. The exceptionally skilled Marquez also got off the canvas three times in the first round of their first fight to battle Pacquiao to a draw in May 2004 in Las Vegas. Since Mayweather dominated the smaller Marquez nearly 14 months ago, he has bounced back to beat B-level opponents Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis in impressive fashion and placed himself in prime position to demand a third fight against Pacquiao.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: The relationship between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Marquez, is strained again, to say the least. The initial offer Golden Boy executives submitted to Top Rank this week for a potential third Pacquiao-Marquez fight was deemed completely unacceptable by Arum, who admits he won’t even speak to Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy’s chief executive officer. Arum wants complete control of the promotion because Pacquiao clearly is the ‘A’ side, but the battle between these competing promoters unfortunately is as fierce as a Pacquiao-Marquez III would be.
4. Miguel Cotto
Age: 30
Record: 35-2, 28 KOs
Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico
Why he might fight Pacquiao: Arum seems hellbent on trying this again, only at a higher weight, which he believes would give the significantly slower Cotto a better chance to win.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: Arum seems almost alone in thinking a second Pacquiao-Cotto fight would be any more competitive than their first bout, in which Pacquiao dominated the second half en route to a 12th-round TKO victory. The paying public probably wouldn’t have much interest in seeing this again, especially since Pacquiao has since dismantled Margarito, who also conquered Cotto. The former 140-pound and 147-pound champion also has a fresh, intriguing option in middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), who seems willing to come down to junior middleweight to face Cotto early in 2011. Cotto could meet Margarito or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as well, but neither fight would earn him the type of money or respect challenging Martinez could provide him.
5. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Age: 33
Record: 41-0, 25 KOs
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Why he might fight Pacquiao: Their long-awaited showdown would be the biggest boxing match to date in the 21st century and could shatter gate and pay-per-view records. It’s probably a 50-50 bout between two of the best boxers in the sport’s history, not just this generation, and would transcend boxing like no other matchup.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: Mayweather’s impending preliminary hearing on felony assault charges present an enormous amount of prohibitive problems. Mayweather won’t go to court in Las Vegas until Jan. 24, which might be too late for Pacquiao to choose his next opponent. Regardless, Mayweather might not want to train through the considerable distraction of possibly facing jail time. He also simply might not want to fight Pacquiao, as his disappearing act over the summer seemed to indicate. Had he wanted the fight, it would’ve happened Nov. 13. Now that Pacquiao publicly has stated that he’ll submit to random drug testing, which he didn’t do during their first round of negotiations late last year, Mayweather’s mysterious failure to at least respond to the proposed showdown is baffling.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The winner of the Jan. 29 junior welterweight unification bout between Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC), of Palm Springs, Calif., and St. Louis’ Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs), was not placed in this group because neither is believed to be a serious option for Pacquiao’s next fight. That could change, of course, if Pacquiao defeats one of the aforementioned men in the spring and schedules a fall fight.)
If Manny Pacquiao doesn’t fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. next, he should face Juan Manuel Marquez a third time.
From historical and competitive perspectives, Mexico’s Marquez absolutely should be Pacquiao’s Plan B if the biggest fight in boxing cannot be made due to Mayweather’s legal predicament or whichever reason Mayweather offers for not opposing Pacquiao. Assuming Mayweather-Pacquiao doesn’t come off in the first half of 2011, it’s obvious at this point that former three-division champion Shane Mosley is the front-runner to land a pay-per-view fight against Pacquiao.
Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said this week that Pacquiao could fight as early as April 16, though that will depend on Pacquiao’s still-to-be-determined congressional schedule in the Philippines. His next fight also could occur May 7, since the first Saturday in May has become a prime pay-per-view date for HBO Sports in recent years, even when Mexican or Mexican-American fighters aren’t involved in the main event.
Arum will leave next week for the Philippines, where he’ll help Pacquiao celebrate his 32nd birthday Dec. 17. He’ll also present Pacquiao with his options during that trip and afford Pacquiao some time to make up his mind.
Unlike last December, it’s clear Pacquiao wants to meet Mayweather to finally settle their pound-for-pound debate in the ring. Making that fight doesn’t seem realistic this time around, so here’s a look at Pacquiao’s options. (We included Mayweather, just in case.)
1. Shane Mosley
Age: 39
Record: 46-6-1, 39 KOs, 1 NC
Hometown: Pomona, Calif.
Why he might fight Pacquiao: Other than Mayweather, he is the most established star in this group. Pay-per-view fights often are as much about name recognition as anything else, as Arum’s Top Rank Inc. proved when Pacquiao’s lopsided victory over besmirched former welterweight champ Antonio Margarito drew roughly 1.15 million buys last month. Mosley also is a bigger man than Pacquiao, has a granite chin and could present problems with what’s left of his speed.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: Mayweather dominated Mosley after showing some real resolve by surviving the worst trouble of his 14-year pro career during the second round of their May 1 fight in Las Vegas. Mosley did enough to earn a victory over Sergio Mora on Sept. 18 in Los Angeles, but his first fight after Mayweather beat him ended in a draw and didn’t exactly amount to an inspiring performance. Fight fans aren’t overly excited about the prospect of this fight, but that might not matter because the Margarito mismatch did such big business.
2. Andre Berto
Age: 27
Record: 27-0, 21 KOs
Hometown: Winter Haven, Fla.
Why he might fight Pacquiao: He is a young, powerful puncher who also is bigger than Pacquiao. Berto also possesses some of the speed and athleticism most boxing observers believe could give Pacquiao more trouble than any of his past six opponents.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: While unbeaten and heavily exposed by HBO, he isn’t nearly the star Mosley is. He’s not a ticket-seller, his fights on HBO haven’t drawn exceptional ratings and despite his admirable work in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, he won’t bring as much to the potential promotion’s ‘B’ side as someone like Mosley or Marquez. Maybe more important, despite his unblemished record and eight straight HBO appearances, Berto hasn’t been tested by anyone on the elite level. New York’s Luis Collazo, perhaps the best boxer he has faced, almost beat Berto in a 12-round WBC welterweight title fight nearly two years ago (116-111, 114-113, 114-113). Collazo is left-handed, but that’s about all he has in common with Pacquiao.
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
Age: 37
Record: 52-5-1, 38 KOs
Hometown: Mexico City
Why he might fight Pacquiao: They have unfinished business. Marquez was the last opponent to truly test Pacquiao, who defeated Marquez by a debatable split decision in March 2008 in Las Vegas. The exceptionally skilled Marquez also got off the canvas three times in the first round of their first fight to battle Pacquiao to a draw in May 2004 in Las Vegas. Since Mayweather dominated the smaller Marquez nearly 14 months ago, he has bounced back to beat B-level opponents Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis in impressive fashion and placed himself in prime position to demand a third fight against Pacquiao.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: The relationship between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Marquez, is strained again, to say the least. The initial offer Golden Boy executives submitted to Top Rank this week for a potential third Pacquiao-Marquez fight was deemed completely unacceptable by Arum, who admits he won’t even speak to Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy’s chief executive officer. Arum wants complete control of the promotion because Pacquiao clearly is the ‘A’ side, but the battle between these competing promoters unfortunately is as fierce as a Pacquiao-Marquez III would be.
4. Miguel Cotto
Age: 30
Record: 35-2, 28 KOs
Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico
Why he might fight Pacquiao: Arum seems hellbent on trying this again, only at a higher weight, which he believes would give the significantly slower Cotto a better chance to win.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: Arum seems almost alone in thinking a second Pacquiao-Cotto fight would be any more competitive than their first bout, in which Pacquiao dominated the second half en route to a 12th-round TKO victory. The paying public probably wouldn’t have much interest in seeing this again, especially since Pacquiao has since dismantled Margarito, who also conquered Cotto. The former 140-pound and 147-pound champion also has a fresh, intriguing option in middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), who seems willing to come down to junior middleweight to face Cotto early in 2011. Cotto could meet Margarito or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as well, but neither fight would earn him the type of money or respect challenging Martinez could provide him.
5. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Age: 33
Record: 41-0, 25 KOs
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Why he might fight Pacquiao: Their long-awaited showdown would be the biggest boxing match to date in the 21st century and could shatter gate and pay-per-view records. It’s probably a 50-50 bout between two of the best boxers in the sport’s history, not just this generation, and would transcend boxing like no other matchup.
Why he won’t fight Pacquiao: Mayweather’s impending preliminary hearing on felony assault charges present an enormous amount of prohibitive problems. Mayweather won’t go to court in Las Vegas until Jan. 24, which might be too late for Pacquiao to choose his next opponent. Regardless, Mayweather might not want to train through the considerable distraction of possibly facing jail time. He also simply might not want to fight Pacquiao, as his disappearing act over the summer seemed to indicate. Had he wanted the fight, it would’ve happened Nov. 13. Now that Pacquiao publicly has stated that he’ll submit to random drug testing, which he didn’t do during their first round of negotiations late last year, Mayweather’s mysterious failure to at least respond to the proposed showdown is baffling.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The winner of the Jan. 29 junior welterweight unification bout between Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs, 1 NC), of Palm Springs, Calif., and St. Louis’ Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KOs), was not placed in this group because neither is believed to be a serious option for Pacquiao’s next fight. That could change, of course, if Pacquiao defeats one of the aforementioned men in the spring and schedules a fall fight.)
