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Pacman chases eighth title
Manny Pacquiao's will fight Mexican Antonio Margarito on November 13 after the collapse of negotiations for a megafight against Floyd Mayweather.
The fight will probably be for the WBC super welterweight title that Sergio Martinez vacated earlier this year. A victory would give Pacquiao titles in a record eight weight divisions.
Pacquiao, rated the best boxer in the world, pound for pound, was going to fight Mayweather in 2010, but the deal to fight in November fell through.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum says Pacquiao will fight Margarito in a junior middleweight bout on November 13.
The venue is still undecided because Margarito is not licensed to fight in the United States, but Arum is moving ahead with plans anyway.
The fight would probably have to take place in Mexico because Margarito does not have a licence to box in Las Vegas. "We'll finalise everything this week," Arum said at the weekend.
Margarito was chosen for the lucrative payday over junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, Arum said, because Pacquiao hads already defeated Cotto once.
"Antonio is so much bigger than he is, it's a very attractive fight," Arum said. "Cotto, we figure, should have another fight this winter.
"Shown the improvement he has made under (new trainer) Emanuel Steward we could look at him maybe next year."
Arum mentioned Monterrey as a possible location but says he was not ruling out Las Vegas.
"Making a deal won't be a problem," said Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Margarito. "We'll get it done."
Arum says he has asked Nevada officials for a conditional licence to allow the suspended Margarito to fight in Las Vegas.
Former welterweight champion Margarito was suspended by California officials after a plaster-like substance was discovered in his handwraps before a bout in January last year, which he eventually lost to Shane Mosley.
Arum said he is growing tired of Mayweather's act. "This kid is so nuts. His idea of being part of his team is having guys who, when he says 'jump,' they say 'how high?'
"Why didn't they just say we decided not to fight until next year?"
Pacquiao, the WBO welterweight champion, rekindled hopes of a megafight showdown with unbeaten US star Mayweather in May by agreeing to blood test terms that had scuttled a showdown.
Earlier last week, Mayweather missed a deadline set by the Filipino fighter's promoter to make a megafight deal.
Arum said Mayweather had another ten days or so to make contact while he talks with other fighters such as Miguel Cotto and Margarito.
"We now have to go out and secure an opponent for Manny, assuming it won’t be Floyd," Arum said.
"The dea (with Mayweather(l is dead when we reach a deal with an opponent for Manny’s fight in November. Then we are contractually bound to do that fight and we would look hopefully to do a fight with Floyd next year."
"That is the fight that we want more than all others. There is no question about it."
