Pacquiao's Next Opponent Down to 4 Names
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Arum headed to Philippines to discuss next foe with Pacquiao
By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
- Harry How, Getty Images
Manny Pacquiao defeated Juan Manuel Marquez in November in a close victory many in the media thought he lost.
The Hall of Fame chairman of Top Rank Promotions has two of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters in his stable —Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, who are Filipinos.
Arum will fly to the Philippines on Sunday — after his beloved New York Giants play an NFL playoff game, of course — along with Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, to meet with Pacquiao and discuss his next fight. He also wants to be there when Pacquiao begins shooting his latest commercial endorsement, for Hennessy cognac.
Arum has four boxers in mind as Pacquiao's next opponent in May or June:
Top Rank fighters Timothy Bradley and Miguel Cotto as well as Juan Manuel Marquez and Lamont Peterson.
The boxing public, of course, clamors for a Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown. But the 34-year-old unbeaten welterweight champ begins a 90-day jail sentence Friday, so he's out for now.
"Manny is my numero uno client, and I will be guided pretty much by his preference," Arum said in a phone conversation Wednesday. "I will lay everything out, and Manny is going to choose."
Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, agrees it will be one of the four, and Pacquiao will be the decider.
"With Mayweather incarcerated, I would be looking at the following, in no particular order: Marquez, Cotto, Bradley and Peterson," Roach said. "Of course this would be subject to discussions with Manny and Bob Arum and it, as always, would be Manny's decision."
Bradley (27-0, 12 KOs) recently signed with Top Rank and is moving up one weight class to 147 pounds. He defeated 40-year-old Joel Casamayor on the Pacquiao-Marquez undercard in November in his first fight with his new organization.
"Tim is a terrific fighter," Arum said. "He'll give Manny a very good, competitive fight. The problem is, because of the (10-month) hiatus, he really hasn't been exposed to the public except for the Casamayor fight. So that could be a downside as far as maximizing revenue for a Pacquiao fight."
Cotto lost to Pacquiao on a 12th-round technical knockout two years ago. But they fought at a 145-pound catchweight, which appeared to drain Cotto, the current 154-pound champion.
"For four rounds it was tremendous. Then Manny overwhelmed (Cotto)," Arum says. "The question is, does Cotto, at the higher weight, with a new trainer, etc., create a different problem for Manny? It's a very sale-able fight."
If Cotto doesn't fight Pacquiao, Arum has something else up his sleeve for the popular 31-year-old Puerto Rican.
"I have a huge fight for Cotto, maybe even bigger (than Pacquiao), because Cotto would clearly be the A side — it would be Cotto against (middleweight champion Julio Cesar) Chavez Jr. if Chavez (44-0-1, 31 KOs) wins his fight (against Marco Antonio Rubio) on Feb. 4. Cotto and Chavez is a major, major attraction in the Hispanic community. Better than Cotto-(Antonio) Margarito."
Marquez and Pacquiao fought for a third time in November, and Pacquiao won a close fight, but many felt Marquez had won. The 38-year-old Mexican wants a fourth shot, this time outside Las Vegas, where he thinks judges won't give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Don't worry about what these guys say. I don't pay any attention to that," says Arum, who thinks Marquez will fight anywhere if the money's right.
Peterson is coming off a major upset of Amir Khan in December, and is looking to increase his visibility. Nothing says visibility in boxing more than stepping into the ring with Pacquiao or Mayweather.
Arum compares the homelessness and living in the streets early in their lives that Pacquiao and Peterson both overcame as something that would attract interest in a potential matchup between the two.
If neither Marquez nor Bradley is chosen to fight Pacquiao, they could fight each other. "That's a tremendous fight. The winner of that would come out with a rosy glow," Arum says.
Donaire is moving up to 122 pounds and scheduled to fight Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. on Feb. 4 (HBO, 10 p.m. ET, on the Chavez-Rubio card) in San Antonio for the vacant WBO junior featherweight title. Donaire (27-1, 18 KOs) is coming off an unimpressive win against Argentine Omar Narvaez, who refused to throw punches, in October at Madison Square Garden.
"That was disappointing, because it was a showcase fight for Nonito at the Garden and the other guy wouldn't fight," Arum said. "He doesn't have to worry about that with Vazquez, who knows only one way to fight: straight ahead.
"This should be a tremendous fight for Nonito, and it's the start, or continuation, of Nonito moving up the scales. He's a very, very big kid. How the hell he was ever fighting at 115 pounds, I can't figure out. But he's a big kid. He could get up to 135 pounds (lightweight) easy."
If Donaire defeats Vazquez (21-1-1, 18 KOs), Arum sees 35-year-old Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs), the Japanese WBC super bantamweight, as his next opponent.
"I have all my 126-pound guys —Juan Manuel Lopez, Orlando Salido, Mikey Garcia, just to name a few," Arum said. "One thing he doesn't have to look for is tough opponents.
"I think by the end of this year, he'll be fighting at 126 (pounds)."
Will Donaire fight undefeated Cuban star Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs) down the road?
"Gamboa is fighting on March 3rd (vs. Rocky Juarez), and if he gets by that fight, and (undefeated lightweight star Brandon) Rios gets by his fight, we're planning to do Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) against Gamboa on HBO in June or July," Arum said. "And if Gamboa beats Rios, he would be at 135, and I don't know if Donaire would go to 135 that quickly.
"But certainly down the road, if Gamboa continues to be successful, that would be a huge fight."
Either way, Arum says boxing is booming, and sees 2012 as a big year for his company and the sport as a whole.
"We have a tremendous schedule," the 80-year-old promoter said. "We're going to announce a very, very big deal next month. To go on a cable network. And we expect to have 70-80 boxing shows this year.
"I have these assets, and there will no no asset left behind. Whatever way we go, whatever we do, everybody is going to be in action, and everybody's going to make a lot of money."
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