By Eric Thomas: According to writer Michael Marley of Boxing Confidential, World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KO’s) won’t be facing WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) next. Marley states that Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, and adviser Michael Koncz said that Pacquiao wouldn’t be fighting Foreman next. This is bad news for Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, who badly wanted Pacquiao to fight Foreman next so that Manny could aim for his 8th world title win.

It would have been a good match up also because Foreman fights for Arum’s Top Rank promotional company. However, it’s probably for the best that this fight not take place. Foreman is a big junior welterweight at 5’11” with long reach and a hit and run style that would have been nightmares for Pacquiao.

Foreman is a frustrating fighter because he doesn’t stay in one place for very long, and tends to retreat at the first signs of aggression from his opponents. In watching the troubles that Pacquiao had against Miguel Cotto when he used a little bit of movement in the fight, it’s not hard to imagine that Pacquiao would have likely struggled badly against a fighter like Foreman.

Foreman is like a taller, slower version of Floyd Mayweather Jr., only a lot tougher because of his inside game. Foreman’s trainer Murray Wilson isn’t happy that Pacquiao won’t be fighting Foreman, remarking “I am disgusted. Manny fought Oscar De La Hoya, beat him so badly he put him into retirement, and Oscar’s a half inch shorter than by guy, Yuri is.“

It’s unclear who Pacquiao’s opponent will be now that his news is out. Foreman’s name had been mentioned as a backup opponent for Pacquiao for the past few weeks. Now, however, it’s unknown who will be picked by Roach to fight Pacquiao. It would seem unlikely that another light middleweight will be selected in place of Foreman, because they’re about as tall as Foreman.

Mayweather is rumored to be looking at fighting Paulie Malignaggi next, so he’s out unless Pacquiao’s team wants to give him a better offer. Ideally, it would be great to see Pacquiao step up and fight WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who is considered to be the best fighter in the division, but I can’t see that realistically happening at this point. Martinez isn’t a big puncher, but he moves even more than Foreman and he might make Pacquiao look bad if they were to fight.