By Michael Marley
Imagine, if you will, boxing's hottest attraction fighting the sport's fiery new superstar.
Imagine, if you will, boxing's No. 1 and No. 2 pound for pound combatants (excluding the sidelined Floyd Mayweather Jr.) swapping punches.
Conventional boxing wisdom has it that those closest to Manny Pacquiao, who weighed a mere 144 1/2 pounds for his recent "super welterweight" title bout, will keep him far, far away from a bout against the so physically imposing and hard-hitting middleweight king Sergio Martinez.
But, on Tuesday, a wild card was thrown into the Pacman Opponent Lottery by the operator of the Wild Card gym and Pacquiao and Amir Khan's trainer, Freddie Roach.
In Las Vegas, where Kid Khan takes on another Wild Bull of the Pampas named Marcos Maidana Saturday night, Roach cracked the door open for a battle between the heroes of the Philippines and Argentina.
“I’d like to see him fight [Sergio] Martinez right away,” Roach said during a media roundtable. “[Floyd] Mayweather, with what he has going on in his life right now; I think he has to handle that before he can even talk about fighting. Sergio Martinez at the right weight I think can be the most exciting fight out there.”
Perhaps it was merely a pasing thought but Martinez handler Lou DiBella, also pitching welterweight Andre Berto as a Manny foe, found it to be (gaucho) music to his ears.
"We're at the same place. We'd love to fight Pacman with Sergio. But, physically, Sergio cannot possibly get to a weight below 154 pounds. At 154, that is Sergio's outer limit in weight.
"Sergio could weigh 155, maybe 154, but no less," the New York based promoter said. "I'm not surprised that Freddie would say that, it just shows how confident he is in his fighter. But we are equally confident with Sergio against anybody."
Somehow, I envision Pacman promoter Bob Arum covering both of his ears to block this discordant note out. Besides, Arum is saving his breath to blow out 79--count 'em, 79--brithday candles at his Vegas mansion on Wednesday.
Arum and Pacman agent Michael Koncz are in sync in pushing 39 year old, not so sweet anymore Sugar Shane Mosley as the most logical spring opponent for their cash cow.
Arum said he will present the names and respective purse demands from Juan Manuel Marquez, Berto and Mosley to Pacquiao in a face to face sitdown in Manila a day or two before Pacman's Dec. 17 birthday.
Pacman will only have 32 candles on his cake.
Difference is Pacquiao gets to have his cake and eat it, too.
