By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated December 30, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Bob Arum has another big fight lined up at the back of his mind, and it’s not one featuring Manny Pacquiao.
It’s between Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto, with the winner earning a chance, just a chance, to face Pacquiao next.
It’s not for him to promote the fight either, but Arum said he’d like to see it happen.
“Put Marquez in with Berto, let’s see what he does,” the 79-year-old chief of Top Rank told boxingscene.com.
Pacquiao is scheduled to face Shane Mosley on May 7 in Las Vegas, when ring experts say there are better fights to make.
A fight with either Marquez or Berto, the experts believe, would be better than the 39-year-old Mosley.
Marquez, the Mexican warrior who’s been up in the ring with Pacquiao twice, drawing once and losing once, is desperately seeking a third match.
But the two previous fights came no heavier than 130 lb, and Arum doesn’t think Marquez, now the champion at 135 lb, can handle Pacquiao at 147 at least.
“If he beats Berto, well, obviously, he can fight a Pacquiao,” Arum was quoted by Mark Vester ofboxingscene.com.
Reports said Marquez has overpriced himself against Pacquiao, demanding a guaranteed purse of $5 million and $5 for every pay-per-view buy after 500,000 hits.
Berto, the WBC welterweight champion, is young and undefeated, and thinks he deserves to be in there with the 32-year-old Filipino.
“He needs someone like me,” said Berto following a first-round, one-punch knockout of Freddie Hernandez last month.
Berto, 27, was quoted as saying he’d fight Superman. But he needs to prove himself first, before he lands a million-dollar fight with Pacquiao.
On the night of Berto’s latest win, Marquez, 37, knocked out Michael Katsidis, and, again, called out Pacquiao’s name.
Still, Arum said Mosley is the best fight available for Pacquiao. Money-wise, yes, because Mosley has a bigger fan base than the two.
But boxing wise, many think otherwise.
Unless Mosley climbs the ring at least two years younger, the fight could be over before the crowd could warm up their seats at the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena.
In January of 2009, Mosley knocked out Antonio Margarito, who lasted the distance with Pacquiao last November, despite taking a heavy load of punches.
Last year, however, Mosley ran out of gas against Floyd Mayweather, and lost, then ran out of guts in a recent draw against Sergio Mora.
But he vowed to do better this time, better, stronger than any 39-year-old out there.
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