"If, on November 15th, that fight is possible, then we'll pursue it. If it's not, the boys have a lot of options. Manny, if this is a great fight, he can do a rematch. He can fight Shane Mosley, which will be a great fight. He can do a third fight with Marquez or he can fight Floyd. There's four options," stated promoter Bob Arum as he laid out the future options available for Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao. While Arum does not exclude Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a possibility, he's doubtful that a fight with the undefeated multi-division champion will happen within the next year.
"I don't think [Pacquiao vs. Mayweather] will happen within the next year because of all of Mayweather's posturing, the trash talk. That impedes any realistic negotiations. It would just be too difficult," Arum recently told Michael Rosenthal of Ring Magazine.
That being said, Arum has already laid out future plans for both of his stars. Judging from the order in which he listed their options, it sounds like it might be even longer than a year before we see Floyd Mayweather in the same ring as either Top Rank fighter. "If Cotto wins, again, if it's a great fight, he can do a rematch. Secondly, he can rematch Shane Mosley. Or third, he can wait and Margarito will be ready to fight in February and he can do a revenge fight with Margarito. So he has options. Or Mayweather. So each of them has four options. That's pretty good," Arum revealed in a recent interview with Fightnews.com.
Obviously, the outcome on November 14th will determine which option each fighter takes. Regardless of the winner, however, Arum is confident that both fighters will remain at the top of the division. "I don't think the loser is going to take any hit. I really believe that this fight will be so good and so exciting that there won't be a loser," he added. "Now, one guy's hand will be raised in victory, but the loser won't be a loser. His stature in boxing will be increased."
Life is good for Arum. By this time next year, four of the top fighters in and around the welterweight division - Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey - are all Top Rank fighters. That's quite a few options for any one of those fighters. Apparently, there's a lot of roads which don't lead to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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