It’s Pacquiao’s call – Arum

By NICK GIONGCOJune 3, 2009, 4:42pm It’s all up to Manny Pacquiao to choose his next opponent, Top Rank head Bob Arum said Wednesday. Arum has penciled Pacquiao to fight on Oct. 17 possibly against Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico but the Hall of Fame promoter stressed that it would still be the Filipino pound-for-pound king who will make the final call. Cotto is fighting Joshua Clottey of Ghana on June 13 in New York and Pacquiao will be there to size him up. Arum said the ball is in Pacquiao’s hands and he will not object if the boxer opts to wait until the July 18 bout between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez fight is over. If Pacquiao delays his decision to identify his next foe, Arum said he will likely move the fight to November since there has to be enough time to prepare and promote such a fight if it is held originally in October. Arum said that while Shane Mosley has shown tremendous interest in securing a Pacquiao fight, the reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion doesn’t have a strong following unlike Cotto. Cotto, who has an enormous following in New York, where a large concentration of Puerto Ricans resides, is a tested pay-per-view attraction, unlike Mosley. Mosley has been everywhere lately, almost begging Pacquiao to pick him as his next rival. The 37-year-old native of Pomona, California, said he is amenable to certain conditions like dropping to as light as 144 lbs. If ever Pacquiao fights Mosley, Mayweather or Cotto, he wants a catch weight of 143 lbs since he says he is not a legitimate welterweight (147-pounder). Pacquiao flattened Ricky Hatton at 140 lbs last May 2 in Las Vegas.