Manny Pacquiao takes to the ring next month in a fight that he is once again the heavy favorite to win, and unusually without any clear next opponent.
Usually such matters Pacquiao tends to leave to promoter Bob Arum, who always seems to have two or three plans set in motion for the Filipino superstar.
As his career nears its end however and the list of opponents he might someday take on becomes shorter, Pacquiao seemingly has at least one opponent in mind, long time rival but reluctant opponent Floyd Mayweather
In a frank interview with BoxScoreNews’ John Martinez ahead of his May bout with Shane Mosley, Manny Pacquiao was eager to put across his feelings towards Mayweather:
“I really want to fight Floyd Mayweather but it is obvious that he wants no part of me because he is ducking every way to fight me so that is why I am fighting Shane now,”
After the Mosley fight is over and done with however, there isn’t any clear next opponent for Pacquiiao to take on.
None of the current light welterweight champions are likely on the agenda because of the fact that his friend and training partner Amir Khan fights at the weight.
Long time rival and current lightweight king Juan Manuel Marquez is an option, but the uncertainty about his promotional status for the time being means that this can’t necessarily be counted on.
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At welterweight the pickings are even slimmer with only undefeated WBO champion Andre Berto really presenting a credible challenge. Berto’s problem however is the fact that he remains a tier below the likes of Pacquiao, Mayweather and Mosley in the minds of the fans and will continue to do so until he defeats a truly elite opponent.
Perhaps Pacquiao, aware of the fact that there isn’t any clear next step for him to take, and not characteristically a fighter who often calls his opponents out, is looking to taunt Floyd Mayweather into fighting him.
Mayweather himself meanwhile has spent the best part of the last year betting on sports, putting together projects with rapper 50 cent, and more recently being targeted by the IRS over unpaid taxes, this time to the tune of $3.4 million. Advertisement
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If past records are anything to go by, the latter will likely force a ring return in the near future, whether Floyd really feels like fighting again or not.
The fact that Pacquiao is also facing Mayweather’s last opponent in Shane Mosley in his next bout would seem to suggest to most that the timing is finally right for a showdown between the current and former pound for pound kings.
On this occasion Mayweather’s response to Pacquiao calling him out was as usual silence, and he instead spent the day placing yet more bets and buying furniture.
Some will claim that Mayweather is scared of losing his undefeated record, or that he still truly believes that Pacquiao is taking some kind of performance enhancing drugs.
The truth of the matter is probably less exciting, that he prefers to take the path of least resistance with regards to his opponents and that he doesn’t want to have to deal with Bob Arum, regardless of the fact that they talked briefly at the Superbowl and supposedly reconciled their differences.
After Pacquiao’s bout with Mosley however, with the IRS on his back and the fans once again demanding that he fight Pacquiao, could Mayweather be finally ready to settle the one fight separating him from being the undisputed best fighter of his era?
Jon Brown, Pitt: “If it doesn’t happen this year it won’t, Pac and Floyd were both making money fighting other people off the back of their rivalry before but both of them have run out of opponents”
Juan Estrada, Pitt: “Just watch if Pac has a hard time with Mosley then Floyd will say he isn’t good enough to face him”
