At the moment, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is in the Philippines, as he will be meeting up with his star fighter, eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao, to entertain the 32-year old?s next fight.
Pacquiao is coming off of a slightly controversial majority-decision over rival Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12th, the third meeting between the two men, that saw him fail to sustain an offensive attack while eating several flush, telling blows throughout the bout.
A fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. seems to be out of the picture despite Pacquiao?s apparent willingness to face him and there are four other possibilities lurking instead in the form of a fourth fight with Marquez, a rematch with Miguel Cotto, or throw downs with junior welterweight champions Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson.
All four selections are respectable in their own right yet it is Peterson who is the dark horse in the mix.
Last month the once-beaten Peterson pulled off an improbable upset when he applied pressure and took the fight straight to British star Amir Khan, then WBA/IBF champion, in a rousing affair. Khan was deducted two points for pushing over the course of twelve rounds and Peterson would emerge the victor by way of a split-decision verdict. Advertisement
Peterson is a free agent and he and his trainer Barry Hunter have shown openness to a fight with Pacquiao, but it?s a move that isn?t sitting well with Khan?s promoter Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions.
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Related slideshows: Lamont Peterson’s thrilling upset over Amir Khan / Miguel Cotto carves up Margarito in New York / 2011 in Pictures – Reliving Manny Pacquiao’s memorable year
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De La Hoya is pushing for a Khan-Peterson rematch and feels that Arum, who he once fought under but now is locked into a promotional feud with, is trying to get in the way of the fight by dangling Peterson in front of Pacquiao.
De La Hoya has taken to his personal Twitter account over the past few days and his ?tweets? towards Arum have been far from friendly.
?Don’t you get it?? Oscar asked emphatically. ?Arum is now dangling [Pacquiao] in his face so he can sign him and stop the rematch. Amir Khan wants the rematch with Peterson and now Arum again is going to keep the fans from watching a great fight. People who don?t want to acknowledge that Arum is trying to take boxing down with him are just plain ignorant.?
De La Hoya, who retired after his December 2008 loss to Pacquiao, feels that the Filipino marvel won?t be the one deciding who he is going to meet up with in the ring next.
?Apparently Arum is going to the Philippines to see who Manny Pacquiao wants to fight. Who do you think Bob will pick? Back when I had a promoter I would say who I wanted to fight. Isn?t Bob Arum saying it?s Pacquiao?s choice? I hope he picks Mayweather.?
