LAS VEGAS – Larry Merchant believes that win or lose, Manny Pacquiao will have a lot to look forward to next year.
The HBO commentator who just tells it as it is was at Friday’s official weigh-in, and inside the vast media center of the MGM Grand he gave scribes his thoughts on the boxing icon from the Philippines.
He said even if Pacquiao loses to Cotto, understandably the bigger, stronger and younger boxer, it won’t make much of a difference.
“Manny will still be big win or lose,” said Merchant.
“And depending on what happens (against Cotto) a third fight with (Juan Manuel) Marquez will always be there as a fallback fight – if he should lose,” said Merchant, almost always at ringside working each of Pacquiao’s recent fights here in the United States.
Marquez has a draw and a loss against Pacquiao, and in both fights there were questions left unanswered. Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, is open to fighting the Mexican counterpuncher a third time “so we can knock him out and silence him for good.”
Then there’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. who should land a fight against Pacquiao because it’s what the world wants to see.
“Even if he doesn’t win it could happen but it will be a difficult negotiation. But if Manny wins there’ll be so much money on the table. So, there are other possibilities out there,” he said.
