By Lem Satterfield
According to trainer Freddie Roach, any fighter who wants to face Manny Pacquiao from the junior welterweight division, or below, will have to move up the full welterweight limit of 147-pounds. Roach will not agree to any catch-weight between 140 and 147. If Juan Manuel Marquez, Devon Alexander or Timothy Bradley want Pacquiao, they must agree to 147 or the fight won't happen.
"We would have to fight at 147, or else, those fights won't happen. I'm not going to let Manny fight below welterweight. It's 147, we found that when Manny can eat, he's comfortable and doesn't have to worry about making weight. Manny weighed in at [144.6] for his fight with Margarito, and I know that," Roach said.
"But I'm not going to have him struggle to make any weight. So he's going to fight at 147, that's now his natural weight, and that's where we're going to campaign at."
When sizing up the different alternatives to Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roach still believes the best fight possible would come against Juan Manuel Marquez, who already faced Pacquiao twice in the past. Roach has several reasons for wanting Marquez over other options like Andre Berto and Shane Mosley.
"Because they have history between them. You know, they've fought twice, and they were close fights. They were very good fights for boxing and very competitive. Manny beat him and fought him to a draw, and Marquez knows Manny and knows what gives Manny trouble," Roach said.
"Marquez has proven that in two fights. Both fights went the distance. Marquez has been down four times in the two fights, but he's gotten up and made the fight. Marquez is a very durable guy and he's got an audience and a fan base behind him. So he's marketable."
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.