By Lem Satterfield
If a deal for a November fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. falls through, WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao would have two options on the table. The first option, who is seen by most as the frontrunner, is Antonio Margarito. The second option would be a rematch with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, who Pacquiao stopped in the twelfth round last November.
Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, says a Pacquiao-Cotto rematch would not take place at the full divison limit of 154-pounds. A catch-weight would have to be in play. When they fought for the welterweight crown last November, the fighters agreed on a catch-weight of 145-pounds. Pacquiao has since fought, and beat, Joshua Clottey at the full welterweight limit of 147, and the Mayweather fight would also take place at the full division limit.
The junior middleweight division is another big step for a fighter who began his career at 106-pounds and won seven divisional titles. The proposed catch-weight for a Cotto rematch has not been disclosed, but some sources have indicated a possible weight of 150 to 151-pounds.
"There is a rematch with Miguel Cotto at 154 pounds. But obviously, we're not going to have Manny fight at 154, we'll probably do a catch-weight. They haven't said where a Cotto fight would take place, but he won the title at 154. We have a very good relationship with Brian, Miguel Cotto's translator, and I've talked to him in New York. And we can do a catch-weight and so forth," Koncz said.
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.
