MANNY PACQUIAO: A LOOK AHEAD

By Kenny Perrault

With the big fight nearly a week away I find myself thinking of future opponents for Manny Pacquiao. I don’t want to discredit Miguel Cotto and just assume a victory for Manny, but he has looked so impressive in his last two outings it's hard not to look ahead. The dismantling of Oscar de la Hoya and the absolute destruction of Ricky Hatton have made Pacquiao look damn near unbeatable. We all know that Miguel Cotto is not just going to lie down and having taken a beating against Margarito, he's coming into this fight to with much to prove. He wants to show people that Margarito didn't leave him just a shell of his former self, and more importantly he wants to win. A victory over Manny Pacquiao is the same as holding the winning lottery ticket. If you can beat Manny then you’re the top dog and you can start calling the shots. I am picking the Pacman to win this fight and like I already said I can’t stop thinking about the future and the potential it holds. There are so many options for Manny Pacquiao and I would like to go through a few of them.

First is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. This is the fight that we all want to see. You can never go wrong when two of the best fighters in the world -if not the best- fight each other. A Pacquiao - Mayweather bout would surely beat the all time PPV record and be one of the most anticipated matches in boxing history. This fight would also prove once and for all who the P4P champion really is. In the end though you can never forget that boxing is a business and in business it all comes down to money. The arguments regarding who gets top dollar have already started and nothing good has came of it. Floyd thinks he deserves top money and Manny says the same. The greatest idea I've heard yet is this, get the fighters to agree on a set price, let's say $30 million dollars. Each fighter is guaranteed 40% of the $30 million with the winner getting the remaining 20%. Not only do the fighters get a healthy payday but there would be an extra incentive to win the bout.

Shane Mosley may be the hottest thing in the welterweight division right now besides Manny Pacquiao. Mosley is coming off a huge win over Antonio Margarito earlier this year; a win that catapulted him to the top of the welterweight division once again. Add in how he called out Floyd Mayweather after "Money's" 12 round owning of Juan Manuel Marquez and you have a hot fighter. As of right now it looks like Mosley could be facing Andre Berto in early 2010. If Sugar gets past Berto, a fight with Pacquiao makes perfect sense. If neither Manny or Shane can get Floyd Mayweather in the ring, then why not fight each other? What they need to do is force Floyd into a fight, take his spotlight away and shine it on themselves. Once they have complete control May would have no other choice but to fight one of them, if not both.

Not every fight needs to be a “super fight,” even the great fighters need to take it easy once in a while. There are plenty of fighters out there that Manny can fight without the high risk. A fight against Zab Judah would be perfect. Judah, a former world champion and no stranger to big fights himself, would make for a great match up with Manny Pacquiao. The pressure of continuously fighting in mega fights will take its toll on any fighter. It could be used as a fight for Manny to stay active and a great chance for Zab Judah to finally grab the spotlight, and some nice cash.

Maybe it’s foolish of me to look ahead when the Cotto - Pacquiao fight is so close at hand but as boxing fans we all know how tough it can be not to look to the future. It’s not unreasonable to think that Miguel Cotto can win this fight, in which case I would have to rethink everything I just wrote. The possibility of a rematch with Cotto is also a likely scenario if they have a close fight. It’s always fun to play “What If” in the sports world but seeing it actually happen is the greatest pleasure a fan can feel.

Source: http://www.braggingrightscorner.com/perraultpacquiaoahead110509.html