By Chris Williams: WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao says he’d be open to fighting WBC Emeritus middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KO’s) as long as he’s willing to fight at 147 lbs.
Pacquiao doesn’t appear eager to accommodate Martinez with a catchweight of 150 lbs like Pacquiao did with Antonio Margarito for some reason. Could it be because Martinez can punch and has good hand speed?
Pacquiao told the LA Times “If Sergio Martinez can get to 147 pounds, why not?”
Is this another way of Pacquiao he doesn’t want to fight Martinez? Come on, asking Martinez to come down 13 pounds in weight to make the fight would almost guarantee to leave Martinez weight drained in the same way that Oscar De La Hoya was in his loss to Pacquiao in 2008. Why can’t Pacquiao at least meet Martinez at 150 lbs or 152 lbs?
I have no doubts that Martinez would beat Pacquiao and knock him out cold if the fight were to be held at 150 and over, but at 147, Martinez would probably collapse due to weakness in the 1st round and be done. But that’s up to him.
If he wants the payday then at least he can get a nice $5 million check for a Pacquiao fight. However, I don’t know how Pacquiao could feel good about beating Martinez at 147 when it’s well below the guys weight class. It’s not like Martinez is a young guy either who can take off that kind of weight and still be strong enough to fight well. If Martinez takes that kind of weight off, he’s going to be incredibly weak and will be a sitting duck for Pacquiao’s attacks.
Pacquiao faces a smaller fighter than him in 38-year-old lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12th. Pacquiao is giving Marquez a small catchweight of 144 lbs, but this is a small old guy and not a bigger fighter like Martinez.
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