Arum Prefers Cotto as Pacquiao’s Next Rival

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum on Sunday expressed his preference for the Filipino ring icon to face off with another Top Rank fighter, Puerto Rican WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto, in his next fight.

Speaking after Cotto scored a split decision over Joshua Clottey in Saturday’s title fight at the Madison Square Garden in New York (Sunday in Manila), Arum said he would sit down with Cotto and his advisers to work out a possible Pacquiao-Cotto tussle, which he feels would be a “tremendous fight."

“We’re going to have to talk to the Cotto people. He has a lot of options. I would like for him to fight Manny Pacquiao. That would be a tremendous fight and I hope we can get it done for November," Arum was quoted in a report on Fightnews.com.

Feeling he won the fight, Clottey immediately asked for a rematch with Cotto but Arum said “economics" would come into the picture, meaning the Puerto Rican champion would likely go for a bigger fight next, possibly against boxing’s current top draw Pacquiao.

“This (Cotto-Clottey showdown) was a great fight, and under ordinary circumstances Clottey deserves a rematch. But we have economics. It’s just not going to happen next," the Top Rank boss said.

Pacquiao was at ringside during the fight. He had earlier expressed willingness to take on anybody after pulverizing erstwhile light-welterweight boss Ricky “Hitman" Hatton provided his camp and his next foe would agree to fight terms, including purse split and catch weight for welterweights like Cotto and Sugar Shane Mosley.

But most fight fans want to see a duel between the “Pacman" and comebacking Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who is set to duke it out with lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez next month in a fight at welterweight that also interests Pacquiao.

Arum, though, seemed cold on Mayweather, the former pound-for-pound king who would likely insist on getting the lion’s share of the purse, for Pacquiao or Cotto.

Taking a dig at Mayweather, Arum said: “Floyd has a fight coming up with Marquez. Then he’ll probably want to fight (WBO light-flyweight titlist Ivan) Calderon. Floyd just doesn’t fight big guys. Let’s be honest, he doesn’t fight big guys."

Cotto said he wants to take a breather from his hard fight first before thinking about his next outing. Asked about his future plans, Cotto said: “Vacation…the people have to wait until I rest a little bit."

But Arum apparently has plans for him already – the "Pacman."

Despite the difference in weight between Pacquiao and Cotto, Arum said Pacquiao has already proven he can climb in weight with the same devastating power when he dismantled Hatton.

"He (Cotto) and Pacquiao is a dead-even fight," Arum said in a separate report from the Associated Press.

Pacquiao is in New York not only to scout possible foe Cotto but also to receive the Fighter of the Year award from the Boxing Writers Association of America and support Rodel Mayol in his eventually unsuccessful crack at the world title against Calderon.

Source: gmanews.tv