Who Will Get the Manny Pacquiao Call Next?

By Juan Angel Zurita (May 22, 2009) - Coming off an emphatic two round destruction of Britain’s Ricky Hatton, Filipino Boxing Icon, Manny Pacquiao, can now sit back and watch several prospective future opponents go to work. While the names Juan Manuel Marquez, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Edwin Valero, Humberto Soto, and Miguel Cotto have been thrown around, the boxing world eagerly awaits the announcement of his next opponent.

Rest assured, at this point in his career, every Pacquiao bout will be a great spectacle to behold. However, with rumors looming regarding an early retirement party later this year, the public is now even more intrigued. Who will get the Pacquiao call next?

Let us review a list of Pacquiao’s list of potential future opponents and assess which one is most likely to get the call next.

Juan Manuel Marquez - Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, has recently stated that if Marquez loses to Mayeather in July, the prospects of a 3rd fight will be voided permanently. It’s a real shame too because to date, Marquez has been the only fighter to give Pacquiao a real run for his money. Considering all the advantages Mayweather has in his favor, there is a high probability that Marquez, the 35 year old career featherweight, will fail in his bid to conquer Mayweather in July. Hence, Marquez will very likely not be Pacquiao’s next opponent.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Although Mayweather Jr. will more than likely defeat Marquez in July, the probability of the “Fight of the Decade” taking place this year is extremely low. Firstly, there is the issue revolving around money which could hamper this fight from ever taking place. ’Money,’ as he so often refers to himself, is under the delusion that he’s in the driver’s seat and should call all the shots. Secondly, since his departure from the lightweight class, Mayweather has been reluctant to face the best around. Lastly, Arum has seemed apprehensive about making the fight in the near future pointing to Mayweather’s “boring style.” In other words, due to their contrasting styles, the bout may turn out to be a real stinker if Mayweather has his way. All this considered, it’s very likely the fight would take place sometime next year “if” it ever does come to fruition.

Edwin Valero - For years Valero’s name has been mentioned as a possible Pacquiao opponent, but the truth is that Valero brings a high risk/low reward danger to the table. If Pacquiao blows him away, he probably wouldn’t garner the credit he would deserve. If Pacquiao loses, the criticism would come pouring in from all directions. Valero may or may not be the goods. Putting him in the ring with Pacquiao at this point in Pacquiao’s career, would be quite a bold move considering the risk, unless of course, Freddie Roach knows something we don’t know.

Humberto Soto - Like Valero, Soto’s name has always been mentioned as a possible Pacquiao opponent. And out of all of Pacquiao’s current choices, Soto actually seems to be the lowest risk. While Soto has proven to be a pretty solid fighter from 126-130, he leaves himself open with his aggressive style and he doesn’t have the pop that some of the other fighters on this list have. If there were ever a time to make this fight a reality, right now would be the perfect time. Pacquiao is riding high from the Hatton blowout and would draw even more attention if he were to do the same against another respectable champion. This seems like the most ideal fight to make if Pacquiao wants to take a bit of a break before tackling bigger challenges in the future.

Miguel Cotto - Outside of facing the winner of Mayeather/Marquez, this bout appears to be the biggest fight out there for Pacquiao at the moment. The bout would be huge with Pacquiao’s crazed Filipino following and Cotto’s spirited and devoted Puerto Rican following. If you’ve grown tired of watching Pacquiao consistently face Mexico’s best, how about Pacquiao versus one of Puerto Rico’s best for a change? However, Cotto must first get by the tough as nails Ghanian, Joshua Clottey, the current IBF Weltweight Champion. Years ago most boxing heads would’ve thought this fight was a mismatch in favor of Cotto, but things have rapidly changed over the last couple of years with Pacquiao’s successful ascension to 140-147 and Cotto’s fall to Antonio Margarito. The bout would be a fight fan’s dream since Cotto would provide Pacquiao with his first test against a “prime” fighter who has proven to be one of the world’s top welterweights in recent years. Of course, the prospects of this bout taking place next currently hinge on Cotto getting by Clottey on June 13. A lot of boxing insiders believe that Cotto will struggle with Clottey, but will scrape through with the victory in the end. If Pacquiao is serious about retiring at the end of the year, this would be the perfect bout for him to go out on to put a thumping exclamation point on a fine career and solidify his rightful place in boxing history.

Who Will Get the Call?

Keep your eyes glued to your television sets on June 13. If Cotto defeats Clottey, he will most likely get the call, particularly if Pacquiao is serious about retiring at year’s end. Should Cotto lose to Clottey, it may very well be Soto or Valero.

Pacquiao’s next opponent may still be up in the air for now, but one thing is for sure. Whomever faces Pacquiao next better be prepared to engage in the fight of his life.

Source: http://boxingfanatics.com/wpz/2009/05/22/pacquiao-call-next/