Fight promoter Lou DiBella is sitting pretty right now as two out of the the top three names mentioned to fight Manny Pacquiao are his fighters. DiBella has been lobbying Bob Arum with his Sergio Martinez as a possible next opponent. A catch-weight would obviously be a must, but most think Martinez is just too big for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao just beat up former 3 time champ Antonio Margarito and he did it against a guy almost 20 lbs heavier. Pacquiao admitted after the fight that it was not easy, and he was indeed hurt by Tony’s body punches. Taking a fight Vs. Martinez would be very dangerous. We all saw what Martinez did to Paul Williams in just one punch.
When I spoke with boxing trainer Freddie Roach I mentioned the name of Andre Berto. Roach perked up when I mentioned Berto’s name and said that he really liked that match-up. Berto is a young champion that can move and throws a lot of punches. This match- up would be a lot more interesting than Manny’s last few fights.
Recently Bernard Hopkins started talking about Manny and how he would lose to an African American fighter. This of course stirred up the Filipino fans and they (other than some racial comments by a few idiots), responded accordingly.
A fight Vs. Berto wouldn’t be against an African American, but it would be against a Haitian fighter who is indeed black. And more than likely in this writers opinion, Berto would end up on the losing end of the fight as well.
Berto would give Manny some tough fought rounds. He’s young and strong, and he loves to get in there and bang. I think a fight Vs. Berto happens before a fight Vs. Martinez. This all being said of course if Floyd Mayweather Jr continues to hide away. If Floyd decides to come out and play, Manny of course signs to fight him.
Shane Mosley was named as a possible opponent but he hasn’t done so well in past few fights. He was blown out by Floyd, and fought to a draw Vs. Sergio Mora. Mosley showed signs of Father Time catching up to him and a fight Vs. Pacquiao would probably end up with him being lit up and beat up.
Mississippians that I spoke with in Jackson last week at the StrikeForce card like the idea of an Andre Berto/Manny Pacquiao fight IF Floyd still holds out. Most of the fans in Jackson all agree that they would rather see Floyd and Manny duke it out. If Floyd is a no show again, the fans that I spoke with think Berto is the best option at this point.
It’s all a waiting game, and as of right now the radar is pointed at Las Vegas, Nevada. Floyd Mayweather has a little bit of time to decide, but the clock is running out on him.
