It’s no secret that things have seemed to almost reach a boiling point in the ever-changing world of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather. Earlier this week there wasn’t as much to discuss as it seemed the mega fight was close to being delivered but now reports have been running rampant about Pacquiao’s refusal to comply with Olympic style drug testing before the fight.
One man who has been riled up is Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum, who insists that his fighter has no problem with testing, but is leery towards getting blood drawn so close to fight time. Arum went on to state that Pacquiao is willing to subject himself to three blood tests; one in January when the fight is announced, another 30 days prior to the showdown, and a last test immediately following the contest. Arum went on to insist that Camp Mayweather’s insistence towards forcing the testing is a way for them to derail the fight and that Floyd Jr. never had the intentions of really facing Pacquiao to begin with.
It’s hard to determine what is going on in the mind of both fighters at the moment but if I had to take a side on this matter I would probably have to lean towards Team Pacquiao. Manny has shown himself to be a willing combatant thus far in his career and he has yet to be found guilty of any illegal substances in bouts prior.
While it is clear as day that making a clash with Floyd is a bigger struggle than expected, perhaps it would be best to put Floyd as an afterthought, as other writers have suggested, and move on to other options. While Pacquiao-Mayweather is a fight that we all want to see, it may not be destined to happen the way we all thought it would be.
If Pacquiao is indeed forced to look at other avenues, he can take comfort in knowing that there are still some meaningful fights on the horizon, even if they aren’t of the same magnitude of a Mayweather showdown. Below is a quick description of some possible bouts that may keep Pacquiao’s interest.
The winner of the January 30th Shane Mosley-Andre Berto clash
Outside of Pacquiao-Mayweather, the boxing world has long had its interest on another huge Welterweight clash as Shane Mosley and Andre Berto will meet in a unification bout on January 30th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mosley hasn’t fought for nearly a year but his last performance, a 9th round stoppage of Antonio Margarito, was so devastating and dominant that it again reminded everyone of the tremendous ability that he possesses. Even at the ripe of old age of 38 Mosley still seems focused and fresh and he is cleary motivated for the Berto showdown.
On the surface one would think that everything is great for Berto, as he is a young and undefeated titlist on the verge of his biggest payday and moment in the sport. But there have been serious criticisms of Berto in recent years, from his questionable call against Luis Collazo nearly a year ago, his increasing interests outside of the ring, and his well documented easy road to the WBC belt. A fight against Mosley is the chance for Berto to put all of his chips on the table and silence his critics.
If Pacquiao does end up facing off with the Mosley-Berto winner in his next bout it may have to wait until after March 13th, as six weeks in between fights seemingly wouldn’t be enough for either man to recoup.
Timothy Bradley
One man who has never held his feelings about wanting to face off with Pacquiao is current WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, widely considered to be the best 140 pound fighter in the world. Bradley is coming off of an impressive and one-sided decision over previously undefeated Lamont Peterson earlier this month and he has shown great improvements in his fights from one bout to the next.
During his early ShoBox days I didn’t see anything special in Bradley but he has exceeded the expectations of many in recent years. Since defeating Junior Witter in May of 2008 Bradley has defended his belt against battle tested Edner Cherry, former champion Kendall Holt, and Peterson, with a no-contest with Nate Campbell tucked in between. The Palm Springs fighter isn’t the most explosive puncher you will see but he has a fearless attitude as well as great stamina and solid boxing skills.
The only problem with a Pacquiao-Bradley showdown is that Pacquiao and his team have insisted that Manny is done fighting at 140 pounds. Still, gut feeling here is that Bradley and Pacquiao could find some kind of catch weight to meet at if they both really want the fight.
Yuri Foreman
Towards the end of November Bernard Hopkins claimed that Pacquiao-Mayweather wasn’t going to happen as soon as we thought, and that Pacquiao would find himself in the ring with newly crowned WBA Jr. Middleweight champion Yuri Foreman in his next bout. At the time those claims seemed questionable but given the recent turn of events it may not be so outlandish at this point.
In his last fight Foreman surprised many by pulling out a unanimous decision over well traveled Puerto Rican champion Daniel Santos. In the bout Foreman showed signs of power and aggression that had been lacking in previous bouts.
While Pacquiao-Foreman isn’t the contest that we want, it would make sense in some ways because it would serve Pacquiao with a change to win a belt in an eight weight division against a beatable opponent.
Joshua Clottey
The number one contender to Pacquiao’s WBO belt is Ghana workhorse Joshua Clottey, who is scheduled next to face off with Michael Rosales at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on January 16th. Clottey has always been vocal about a clash with Pacquiao and if a Mayweather showdown can’t be made perhaps Pacquiao-Clottey could tide us over for the moment.
Clottey sports a 35-3 record with 20 knockouts and his two most recent losses to Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto were closely contested affairs that didn’t drop his stock too much. Clottey is a strong, physical fighter who attacks behind a tight guard reminiscent of his countrymen Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey. He also throws punches at a steady work rate and would definitely make Pacquiao work for everything he got if they are to ever meet.
For more on Clottey, click HERE
The great debate is a new column where fans get to voice their opinion on a designated topic of the week. To voice your opinion on what actions you think Pacquiao should take next, please provide your input in the comments section below.
