By Mark Vester

A possible dream bout between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao was the talk of the boxing world a few months ago. Fast forward to the present and the talk is back. In a recent interview with Nick Giongco of the Manila Bulletin, Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said that Golden Boy Promotions is having problems with obtaining the signature of Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a September rematch with De La Hoya.

He told the paper that a possibility exists for Pacquiao to fill Mayweather's spot if a deal can't be reached. De La Hoya would have to go down to 147 to make the fight. He must first get past a scheduled tuneup on May 3 against Steve Forbes. Pacquiao moves up to the lightweight division to challenge WBC champ David Diaz on June 28.

"I have been told that they (Golden Boy Promotions) are having a tough time getting (Floyd) Mayweather to sign for the rematch," Roach said. "Oscar wants Manny. Manny was about 145, 146 lbs the night he fought (Juan Manuel) Marquez."

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