By Dan Ambrose: Bob Arum is frustrated after watching his unbeaten welterweight contender Mike Jones (24-0, 18 KO’s) defeat Jesus Soto-Karass (24-6-3, 18 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jones dominated Soto-Karass, cutting him up and winning by the scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111.

Arum feels that Jones should now be getting a title shot against WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto instead of having to wait longer to face him. It’s interesting that Arum is aiming Jones for Berto instead of his own fighter Manny Pacquiao, who holds the WBO welterweight belt. By doing this, Arum is potentially limiting his future opponents for Pacquiao should Jones beat Berto.

It doesn’t sound like a smart move on Arum’s part unless he has no plans on ever putting Pacquiao in with the dangerous Berto. Arum might also think that Berto will beat Jones in an exciting fight, and that will make a fight between Pacquiao and Berto a bigger option in the future. I tend to believe that Arum has no plans on ever putting Pacquiao in with the speedy and dangerous Berto, and doesn’t mind if Jones faces him. It probably doesn’t matter because Jones looks far too slow and robotic to beat a fast puncher like Berto.

I’m no fan of Berto, but he looks a level above Jones, judging how he looked in beating Soto-Karass last night. Arum needs to cool out for a while about trying to put Jones with Berto, and instead try at least to get him in with IBF title holder Jan Zaveck or Vyacheslav Senchenko, the WBA welterweight champion. Those guys aren’t popular fighters, but at least those would be good stay busy fights and Jones could pick up a paper title while he waits for Berto to face light welterweight Victor Ortiz in April.