By Lem Satterfield
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum makes it clear that a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley is not a done deal, at least not yet. Mosley is among the three candidates being considered for Pacquiao's next fight, which Arum is targeting for April 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The two candidates are WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and WBO/WBA lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
Mosley in the obvious frontrunner to land the fight, but Arum needs to finalize the financial aspects of the deal when he meets with Pacquiao on December 14 in the Philippines. Sponors are already lining up to get involved with Pacquiao's next fight. The sponsors have made indications that Mosley is their preferred opponent for Pacquiao.
"I've gotten calls from all over the world for this fight, and it's absolutely amazing. I can't say their names, but there is group that wants to do it in Europe, and there is a group that wants to do it in New Orleans. They are a Mid-East group that wants us to do the fight in New Orleans and they'll sponsor it. It's just fantastic. Just fantastic. This kid is so big, it defies description, and, you know, everybody wants him to fight Mosley if Floyd Mayweather [pictured below] is not available. Everybody, and every call is about Manny Pacquiao fighting Shane Mosley," Arum said.
Arum is going to present three proposals to Pacquiao. They will discuss the pros and cons for each opponent, and then a final decision will be made.
"It's not fair for anybody to say that it's a done deal. I'm not playing games, because I didn't want to discuss this with Manny over the telephone. This is not something that leads to a telephone call, particularly when its the day here in America, and it's night over there in the Philippines, if you know what I mean. So, I have specifically abstained from talking to Manny about an opponent, but I will do that when I get to Manilla, and he is going to meet with me, and we'll have a good talk about it.
"I'm sure that [Pacquiao's trainer] Freddie Roach will be there, and [Pacquiao's adviser] Michael Koncz will be there. And then, we're going to sit down, and I will weigh out the pros and the cons of every one. Plus we'll look at what their proposals are, and Manny will pick one of them. I think that everybody can tell from what I've been saying that I think that Mosley is the opponent that makes the most sense. But it's close. That doesn't mean that Manny would necessarily agree with me."
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.