By Manuel Perez: Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is interested in Manny facing Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) next, but only if Mosley agrees to come in at 142 for the fight. Mosley doesn’t want to dip that low and is reportedly not interested according to latest news reports. Mosley, 37, prefers to have Pacquiao meet him at 147, a weight that Mosley finds it easier to make at his age.

However, that’s not going to happen because Roach doesn’t have any intention of having Pacquiao fight Mosley at 147, despite the fact that Pacquiao fight Oscar De La Hoya at the same weight in their December 2008 fight that Pacquiao won in an 8th round stoppage.

Roach realizes that there’s a big difference between Mosley and De La Hoya, even though Mosley is a year older than De La Hoya was when he fought Pacquiao. However, Mosley has a lot more in the tank and is a naturally smaller fighter than De La Hoya, so having to come down to 147 for Mosley’s last two fights haven’t been nearly the same kind of problem for him as it was for De La Hoya to do for his fight with Pacquiao.

I half suspect that Mosley may be playing a game with Roach, acting as if he’s not willing to meet Pacquiao at the 142 catch weight when he knows he can do it without too many more problems. It’s only five more pounds for Mosley to strip off, and even in taking off the weight, he’ll still the bigger and stronger fighter than Pacquiao come fight night.

Roach may be making a serious mistake if Mosley does end up as Pacquiao’s next opponent, because Mosley looked sensational in his last fight, a 9th round stoppage win over Antonio Margarito in January 2009.

In comparing how Mosley looked in that fight and Pacquiao in his 2nd round knockout over Ricky Hatton earlier this month on May 2nd, I would think that Mosley is simply too big, too strong and too talented for a smaller fighter like Pacquiao.

The same would apply if Pacquiao were to face Miguel Cotto, Paul Williams or even Andre Berto. Pacquiao is just too small for these fighters and would lose badly. I think Pacquiao can beat shot fighters like Ricky Hatton and old ones like De La Hoya, but as far as quality welterweights, Pacquiao is too short and tiny to beat them. Roach should advise Pacquiao to wait around for his big payday against the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mayweather fight.

I see Pacquiao losing that fight too, but at least he’ll get paid much better for losing than he would in losing to Mosley or Cotto. I don’t know why Roach and Bob Arum are so anxious to get talented fighters like Cotto or Mosley in the ring with Pacquiao, since either one of them are just as good as Marquez and Mayweather.

A lot of people suspect that fighters like Mosley can Cotto are being used just to let Mayweather Jr. know that Pacquiao has other options should Mayweather get an idea of wanting too much money when it comes time to negotiate with him if he can get by Marquez on July 18th.

Mayweather reportedly wants the bigger 60-40 split of the revenue for a fight with Pacquiao, whereas Arum and Pacquiao think that Mayweather should take the smaller 40% of the purse. Mayweather might not do that, and Pacquiao may little choice but to take on the dangerous Cotto or Mosley.

That would be a bad move, because like I said, I see them both beating Pacquiao and ruining his chance at a big money bout with Mayweather. Pacquiao should take the 40% cut, because Mayweather is probably the much bigger star of the two and the one that people will be coming to see.