by Mark Vester

Last week, Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com's Robert Morales that Juan Manuel Marquez had to prove himself in the welterweight division to get a third fight with Manny Pacquiao. He said a third meeting with Marquez is a difficult fight to sell because the boxing public doesn't view Marquez as a legit welterweight threat.

One idea, proposed by Arum, is a fight between Marquez and undefeated WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto. If Marquez beats Berto, then Arum would consider a third fight with Pacquiao in the future. Pacquiao defends his WBO welterweight title against Shane Mosley on May 7.

"Put Marquez in with Berto, let's see what he does," Arum said. "If he beats Berto, well, obviously, he can fight a Pacquiao. But I don't think he can fight at the higher weights. It doesn't say anything about his ability as a fighter. He's a good fighter, nice fellow."

Berto is open to facing Marquez, among other opponents. Like Marquez, Berto was under consideration to face Pacquiao in May. He was overlooked in favor of Mosley. If HBO puts up the money, Berto will take the fight.

"[I'm willing to fight] guys like Miguel Cotto, guys like Marquez, maybe any of the top guys coming up from 140. Maybe my mandatory [Selcuk Aydin]. Right now I'll fight anybody. If Superman continues to bark and run off at his mouth and HBO is willing to put up the money to make it happen, I'll be all for it. This is what I do and this is why I'm in the business, to entertain these fans by putting a hurting on these guys," Berto told boxingtalk.com.