Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has at least three options for Pacquiao’s next fight in the event that Floyd Mayweather turns down Pacquiao’s challenge to face him in the ring early next year.
Despite Mayweather’s public statement on the resumption of the stalled talks following his victory over Marcos Maidana in a rematch last September, he seems to have reneged on his statement that talks can start if Pacquiao beats Algieri. Let him beat Algieri first, then we’ll talk,” Mayweather said. Mayweather’s statement got fight fans on their toes again after waiting for five years for the fight that they all wanted to see. After almost two weeks of posturing, Mayweather has done nothing more than posting Pacquiao’s photos on Instagram depicting Pacquiao’s devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. Sensing that Mayweather may opt out of the Pacquiao fight for fear of losing his unblemished career record, Arum is lining up at least three possible opponents for Pacquiao’s next fight. First in the list is WBA lightweight titlist Jessie Vargas, who won over Antonio DeMarco in the Pacquiao-Algieri undercard on Nov. 22 in Macau, China. Vargas is under contract with Arum’s Top Rank Promotions and is willing to move up o 147 welterweight limit if Pacquiao decides to stay in that weight limit. But Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach wants Pacquiao to go down to 140 if Mayweather turns his back on Pacquiao’s challenge which makes it even more favorable to Vargas as he has been actively campaigning in the 140 pounds limit. Vargas is unbeaten in 26 pro fights but he has a low knockout record (37 percent) in his pro career . Another aspiring Top Rank fighter is Terence Crawford, who kept his unbeaten record against veteran fighter Raymundo Beltran, a former sparring partner of Pacquiao. Crawford was mentioned by Arum as a possible candidate that should be included in the Pacquiao opponent shortlist. After dispatching Beltran in a unanimous decision, Crawford publicly announced his decision to leave the 135 pound lightweight limit to move up to 140 and hope to meet Pacquiao there if no agreement is reach between him and Floyd Mayweather in the 147 pound limit. ?I?d like to see Crawford fight Manny Pacquiao next. I think if he?s going to move up to 140 lbs as he said and to me the ideal weight for Manny has been 140, why not?? said Larry Merchant, a longtime boxing commentator.
Mayweather Jr. of the U.S. celebrates his victory over Alvarez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas � Steve Marcus / Reuters, Reuters Like this image Danny Garcia, who is also unbeaten in 29 pro fights, is the dark horse in the proposed Pacquiao shortlist. He should have been on top of the list as Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach had long wanted to see him against Pacquiao in the ring. But Garcia’s problem is he doesn’t belong to the Arum stable of fighters. Not being a Top Rank fighter, Garcia would have to talk it over with his promoter to make an impression with Arum when they start negotiating for a potential fight with Pacquiao. In all probabilities, Arum would find it easier to match fighters within his Top Rank umbrella and in the final selection, Vargas and Crawford would definitely have the edge over Garcia.
