By Chris Williams: WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao says he wants to face unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. in November before he retires – or gets beaten – from the sport. However, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum is doubtful that a fight between his money fighter Pacquiao and Mayweather can be negotiated.
Pacquiao said this about Mayweather as quoted by USAtoday.com “I’m hoping for a November fight [against Mayweather]…I consider this fight [against Timothy Bradley] as one of my toughest fights.”
Pacquiao probably doesn’t have too much longer to go. He’s got a tough fight against the 28-year-old Bradley coming up and after that Arum will likely put Pacquiao in with one of his Top Rank fighters like Mike Jones or Miguel Cotto if he’s able to get past Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th. Even if Cotto loses to Mayweather, we still might see Cotto and Pacquaio fight again. It’s still the biggest money fight Arum can make aside from Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez, both of which might be too dangerous for Arum to risk seeing the gravy train ended by a loss for Pacquiao.”
Arum said this about a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather: “If I said there is hope, I’d be lying…Right now at this point in time, the fight is impossible.”
Mayweather feels that Pacquiao’s game has slipped a notch and he doesn’t see him as deserving an even purse split with him, in particular with Pacquiao’s recent struggle to beat 38-year-old Marquez last November. Marquez is the same guy that Mayweather easily beat by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision in 2009. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach still thinks Pacquiao beats Mayweather despite Pacquiao struggling against a guy that Mayweather beat with ease. Roach feels that Pacquiao can simply outwork Mayweather and overwhelm him with punches to get a victory. That’s a tactic that Ricky Hatton attempted against Mayweather and it led to him getting picked apart by counter punches and eventually stopped in the 10th round.
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