Is Pacquiao going to go around the circle and face Cotto and Margarito again if Mayweather isn’t available?

By Boxing News - 12/26/2010 - Comments

Image: Is Pacquiao going to go around the circle and face Cotto and Margarito again if Mayweather isn't available?By Dan Ambrose: Promoter Bob Arum has dug up 39-year-old relic Shane Mosley for Manny Pacquiao to fight on May 7th at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is one of the few last named fighters that Arum can dig up for Pacquiao. There’s really not too many other fighters that boxing fans care to see Pacquiao face. Floyd Mayweather Jr is the number #1 fighter that boxing fans want to see Pacquiao, but that fight doesn’t appear to be happening next year with all of Mayweather’s legal obligations weighing him down for the time being.

Pacquiao will likely take care of Mosley without any problems, because he’s looking like a shot fighter nowadays. But once Mosley is out of the way, Arum is going to have to really search for another opponent that boxing fans care to see in with Pacquiao. There’s talk that Arum plans on putting Cotto back in there with Pacquiao, because Cotto is another one of his Top Rank fighters who has a recognizable name among casual fans, and he’s got some talent.

If Cotto can win his two fights in 2011 against Ricard Mayorga and Antonio Margarito, we may well be seeing Cotto back in with Pacquiao for another fight. Their previous fight was a hopeless mismatch with Pacquiao knocking Cotto down a couple of times early on and then chasing him until stopping him in the 12th. It wasn’t a fight that would lead boxing fans to demand a rematch. However, there’s a good chance that we’ll get one anyway. And with Arum putting Cotto back in with Pacquiao, you have to wonder whether Arum would be willing to put Margarito back in with Pacquiao as well.

The Margarito-Pacquiao fight was actually more competitive than the Cotto-Pacquiao fight, and did slightly better on PPV. I can see Arum going back to the well and putting on a rematch between Pacquiao and Margarito as well. I think it would be a horrible fight, just like Pacquiao-Cotto, but I can see Arum putting this fight on if Mayweather still isn’t available for him to match against Pacquiao.



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