Floyd Mayweather Jr isnt the only 'game in town'. Manny Pacquiao has at least 5 other
RR
5) Paul Williams
Williams is calling out 'anyone who's anyone' in the welterweight division. Not only has Williams called out Floyd Jr, but he made sure that everyone knew he would love to fight Manny. Unfortunately, I don't see this fight happening. Paul has at least 7 to 8 inches on Manny and an incredible reach advantage.
4) Yuri Foreman
Bob Arum has said on multiple occasions that Manny is interested in a potential match-up with the winner of Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto. Now, most people are focusing on a rematch against Cotto. But, what if Yuri wins? Foreman would still be undefeated and also have the height advantage. It definitely would be an interesting clash between the two. At least we would have a professional and respectful hyping of the fight due to each man's faith in God and humbleness. Here's an example of Foreman's respect for Manny. Quote is from late February 2010:
“And Pacquiao, listen, is such a great fighter in my eyes. Really, he's pretty much the pound-for-pound best. And that's a great compliment when it's coming from him that he's considering me as a fighter or an opponent. That's a great honor” Yuri Foreman, Fanhouse
3) Miguel Cotto
If Cotto upsets Foreman and takes the strap, I think a rematch against Manny would be a "lock". Cotto wants revenge for his loss to Manny last November. Manny completely dominated Miguel and by the end of the fight, Cotto's face was battered and bloody.
Many fans are disgruntled over this possible rematch because they would rather see a Floyd Jr fight or because they believe that Manny would beat Cotto again. But this rematch could provide Manny a chance at winning a world title in an 8th weight class. (Same for if Manny fought Yuri)
If Miguel Cotto defeats Yuri Foreman, he would be the first man to do so and the victory could provide a plausible excuse for Miguel's previous encounter with Pacquiao. Also, Manny Pacquiao would have to come up in weight which could be an advantage for Miguel (or Yuri).
2) Juan Manuel Marquez
Over the last week. Juan Manuel Marquez has publicly blasted Manny Pacquiao. Marquez has said that Manny is scared of him and that he has Manny's number. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer also echoed Juan's comments.
The 1st Fight
Pacquiao and Marquez first fought on May,8, 2004. They met at the 125 pound mark and fought for Marquez's WBA strap. Pacquiao put Juan on the canvas 3 times in the first round. To Marquez's credit, he was able to get back up and finish the fight. The fight ended in a draw as 1 judge had it 115-110 for Pacquiao, the 2nd judge had it 115-110 for Marquez and the 3rd judge had it 113-113. Marquez threw 547 punches to Pacquiao's 639 but landed 10 more punches than the Pacman with 158.
The 2nd Fight
Pacquiao and Marquez would meet again in March of 2008 at 130 pounds. The fight was for Marquez's WBC super featherweight strap. Pacquiao won by split decision (115-112, 112-115, 114-113). Most boxing critics supposedly felt Marquez won the fight as he dominated Pacquiao in the second round despite being knocked down in the third round. Marquez landed more punches (172 to 157) despite throwing over 100 less punches than Pacquiao (511-619).
The first 2 fights between Manny and Juan were definitely exciting and close. The closeness of these fights is why Juan thinks Manny Pacquiao is scared. In a recent interview with Boxing Fanhouse, JMM had the following to say about the PacMan:
"I badly want the fight with Pacquiao, but he doesn't want it. He doesn't want to fight with me again. That's because everybody watching the two fights with Manny knows that I won. The first fight, they called it a draw. In the second fight, it was a split-decision. I think that I won the two fights. I don't know what happened with the judges with the second fight and the split-decision. Everybody watched, and everybody saw that I won the fight."
There's a growing sentiment among Manny's team and legion of fans that want to see Manny silence Juan Manuel Marquez once and for all. In fact, Freddie Roach has stated numerous times that he wants to Manny knockout Marquez.
1) Antonio Margarito
Antonio is another fighter who really wants a shot at Manny. In fact, in an exclusive interview, Margarito told this reporter that he would beat Manny and strip him of the title:
"Pacquiao is known as the "Mexican Assassin", but he hasn't faught this Mexican. This is a fight that my country people want. They know that I will beat Pacquiao and strip him of that title."
Bob Arum just recently told the Star-Telegram that Antonio Margarito is the #1 replacement if the fight negotiations with Floyd Mayweather Jr fail again.
"I can't look at now. I thought you were going to ask whom he would fight, but the number one guy would be Margarito"
Arum has been campaigning for Margarito almost as much as Manny Pacquiao was campaigning for Congress. Arum has been Antonio's biggest supporter.
My order of preference for Manny's potential Opponents other than Floyd Mayweather Jr:
1) Winner of Foreman vs. Cotto
2) Juan Manuel Marquez
3) Paul Williams
4) Antonio Margarito
5) Andre Berto
Who do you readers think the #1 option is to replace Floyd Mayweather Jr should the negotiations fail again?