Arum finalizing Pacquiao-Cotto for Nov. 14

A Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto super fight tentatively scheduled for November 14 in Las Vegas is being worked out, according to Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum.

“I hope I can put it all together this week and get Manny and Miguel to agree on the terms,” Arum said, referring to the catch weight and the purse sharing.

Freddie Roach, who was at ringside with Pacquiao and Arum for the Cotto-Joshua Clottey World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight on Saturday night, wants a weight limit of 142 to 144 pounds as a condition for Pac­quiao fighting the bigger Puerto Rican.

Cotto successfully defended his WBO title via a hard-fought, split decision against the rugged contender from Ghana.

Pacquiao earlier told this reporter that he does not mind fighting either Cotto or Shane Mosley, the World Boxing Council welterweight titlist.

As the reigning best boxer in the world pound-for-pound, Pacquiao deserves a bigger share of the purse, Arum said.

In fact, Mosley, who insists that Pacquiao should fight him because he is the best fighter in the division, has agreed to go down in weight to 144 pounds and a 40 percent share of the purse to Pacquiao’s 60 percent for his Pacquiao matchup to happen.

The Filipino icon, who just weighed 138 in his sensational second round knockout win over British star Ricky Hatton, is likely to ask the same concessions to fight Cotto.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) is about the same height as Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who has not fought below the welterweight limit since June 2006.

Arum said Pacquiao-Cotto would be a thrilling matchup because they are about the same size and both are puncher-boxers who love to trade punches with opponents in the middle of the ring.

Pacquiao, who started fighting at 108 pounds and won titles in six different weight classes, fought Oscar De La Hoya at 147 pounds (the welterweight limit) in December, and then returned to junior-welterweight (140) to stop Hatton in a second round knockout last month.

Mosley as second option

According to Arum, Mosley remains an option for Pacquiao’s next fight, and said Pacquiao is also receptive to the idea of fighting him.

“Shane’s a terrific fighter, but for now he’s the second choice,” Arum told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. “If we can’t put together a Pacquiao-Cotto fight, we’ll reach out to Shane.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions which promotes the 37-year-old Mosley, called the push for Pacquiao-Cotto “ridiculous” since Mosley knocked out Antonio Margarito in January and Margarito knocked out Cotto last summer.

Cotto edged Mosley by unani­mous decision in 2007.

Pacquiao had originally wanted to wait for the winner of the July 18 Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez match before making his choice for his next fight, but that fight is now indefinitely postponed because of Mayweather was injured in training.

Mayweather’s camp reported Sunday that he had suffered a rib injury last week in training.

But boxing experts say the timing was curious amid rumors that promoters are having difficulty selling tickets for the fight scheduled next month at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Schaefer he is working on a new schedule for September.

Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/june/17/yehey/sports/20090617spo1.html