Now that Manny Pacquiao has emphatically reestablished himself as the best fighter in boxing following his eighth-round destruction of Oscar De La Hoya last week in Las Vegas, it’s time to look at what the future holds for the Philippines’ incredible “Pac-Man.” Pac-Man’s hit list Ricky Hatton: The only question surrounding this fight appears to be whether it will be in Hatton’s native England or the U.S. For boxing’s sake, it should be in the U.K., because the scene would be bedlam. The fight itself would be interesting as well. Hatton is smaller and quicker than De La Hoya, and his aggressive, bullish style would likely mesh well with Pac-Man’s. Pacquiao would be the favorite, but it wouldn’t be nearly as easy as the Oscar drumming. Still, it would be hard to bet against Pac-Man. Odds: Pacquiao, 7-5; Matt’s pick: Pacquiao TKO 11.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Surprise, surprise. It took all of a few days after Pacquiao’s victory over De La Hoya that Mayweather expressed his interest in fighting the furious Filipino. There isn’t a more appealing fight in the sport. Mayweather was the pound-for-pound king until earlier this year, when he retired unexpectedly. The mantle as boxing’s best fighter was then assumed by Pacquiao, who has actually looked more dominant than Mayweather appeared during his reign. The only thing that separates the two would be Pacquiao’s activity — Mayweather last fought in December 2007. The fight likely wouldn’t happen until fall 2009. The Advertisement
winner just may be the best fighter of this generation. Odds: pick’em; Matt’s pick: Pacquiao W 12 (split).
Juan Manuel Marquez: How good do Marquez’ two performances versus Pacquiao look now that Pacquiao has destroyed De La Hoya? The Mexican is the only active fighter to have seriously threatened Pacquiao over the last four years and, in light of his September knockout of Joel Casamayor, he appears to be getting better with age. Unfortunately for Marquez, he is on the outside looking in, as more marketable fighters take their shots at Pacquiao. It will be a shame if Pacquiao-Marquez 3 never happens. Odds: Pacquiao 2-1; Matt’s pick: Pacquiao W 12 (split).
Antonio Margarito: At first glance, this fight looks ridiculous. At 5-foot-11, Margarito is a monster of a welterweight who has fought as high as 154 pounds, and who has generally beaten the snot out of every 147-pounder in his path. But, with Pacquiao — even at 5-6 — conventional wisdom goes out the window. Odds: Margarito 2-1. Matt’s pick: Margarito TKO 12. This weekend The IBF and WBO heavyweight titles are on the line as Wladimir Klitschko takes on Hasim Rahman from Mannheim, Germany (2:45 and 8 p.m., Saturday, HBO). Don’t expect Rahman to do what he did to Lennox Lewis almost eight years ago. “The Rock” is too old for that. The better fight was supposed to be WBO junior welterweight champ Kendall Holt against Ricardo Torres for the third time. But Torres pulled out, and is replaced with Hopkins’ very ordinary nephew, Demetrius, in Atlantic City (9 p.m., Saturday, Showtime).? Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected].
