By Luis Sandoval
While Manny Pacquiao has a tough assignment waiting for him on December 8th when he faces Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth time, the fight the boxing world is still waiting to happen is a super fight with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Even though Top Rank and Golden Boy are still going through their disputes and not working together, both seem to make an exception when it comes to negotiating one of the biggest fights the sport could produce if they were to manage to put the fight together.
Should Pacquiao be victorious against Marquez, Top Rank Founder and CEO Bob Arum assures Mayweather will be at the top of the list once again.
“The Mayweather fight is always the priority but we've been disappointed so often. Obviously we're looking. [Pacquiao] wants to fight again by the end of April and we're looking at other opponents” Arum would tell BoxingScene.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach also shares the same sentiment as Arum. Roach would still love nothing more than to be able to get Mayweather in the ring but if doesn’t happen again, he’d welcome a Brandon Rios clash as well.
“Obviously Mayweather's the goal and would be the super fight. It's the one we want but he's running the other way right now so if he's not there, guys like Brandon Rios, they're up and comers. They're in our way and [can make for] really exciting fights. It could be next but you know obviously if we get Mayweather in the ring we'd love to have it” said Roach.
To Pacquiao’s credit, when asked about a possible Mayweather clash in 2013 he simply said his entire focus was on Marquez and he could look into that after the fight.
You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @truewest007. You can also tune in to BoxingScene’s official audio show The Boxing Lab every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.
