Now that the potential mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather has been put on hold once again because of Mayweather’s recent 90 day sentencing, Pacquiao is now in search of a new opponent, possibly for the summer of next year.
Let’s take a look at the some of the names that have been mentioned on this short list of potential opponents, and see how they each measure up against the current WBO Welterweight Champion.
First on the list is Juan Manuel Marquez. After watching this great trilogy between these two men, like many others, I get the sense that they could fight each other a hundred times and each and every time we would end up getting the same thing. All three fights were very competitive and entertaining. At the end of each fight, the scorecards indicated that they were all close contests. In the first two fights it seemed as though people were split right down the middle on who they thought won, but in their most recent outing, the majority of the public felt that Marquez deserved the nod this time. Nevertheless Pacquiao got the decision in another competitive fight that was again scored close; hence the controversy and the recent talk of a fourth fight. Although neither man has been able to truly dominate the other from start to finish. It’s seems pretty obvious that Manny Pacquiao has yet to solve Marquez’ tricky counterpunching style. If a fourth fight does happen and it plays out in a similar fashion as the first three, one has to question if whether or not Pacquiao would get the nod in another closely scored fight. Trainer Freddie Roach has even said that he believes Marquez just may have Manny’s number. So, is it really worth the risk of possibly losing and jeopardizing a future fight with Floyd Mayweather? It’s something that Team Pacquiao will have to consider.
Number two on the list is WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Timothy Bradley. Out of all of the fighters mentioned on this list Bradley is probably the most gifted athletically. Although he may not be able to match Manny in the power department, arguably he may be just as fast. Both fighters are about the same size so there’s no advantage there. Bradley has been criticized as of late because of the frequent head butts that have occurred in a lot of his fights. Many people believe that he is the one to blame for the contact and have even gone as far as saying that he does it intentionally. These claims have yet to be proven. Nevertheless Bradley is still an extremely talented young fighter who is still in his prime. Bradley’s speed and movement could trouble Pacquiao. He also has a very sneaky right hand which is a punch that Manny gets hit with quite frequently in fights. Bradley is a very capable inside fighter and good body puncher as well. Manny sometimes has a tendency to allow himself to get caught on the ropes. This is where Bradley’s quick hands and precision body punching could do some damage. This would be another very tough risky fight for Pacquiao in my opinion.
Number three on the list is Miguel Cotto. A lot of people are asking why this match is even being mentioned, after the way their first fight went back in 2009, when Pacquiao first won the WBO Welterweight Title. Although the fight did end up becoming one sided I felt the first four rounds were competitive. Early on Cotto’s jab was giving Manny problems, and he was able to set up a lot of his shots behind it, particularly the left hook. One other punch that Cotto had success with was the uppercut. When he had Pacquaio up against the ropes, he was able to land this punch with either hand. But just as he did in his first fight with Antonio Margarito, Cotto chose to slug it out with the pound for pound king, and paid dearly for it. If he boxed more behind the jab and kept the fight at a distance, while pivoting out to his left after throwing his combinations, he may have had more success. With or without the hand wrap scandal, Cotto had a much better game plan in his rematch against Margarito. He made some of the adjustments that I had just mentioned, and he was able to score a tenth round stoppage, avenging his first defeat. He also looked much sharper with the right hand in that fight, which as I said before is a punch that troubles Pacquaio. After the first fight with Pacquiao, Cotto moved up to junior middleweight and has since revitalized his career by winning the WBA Junior Middleweight Title from Yuri Foreman, scoring a ninth round stoppage. Pacquiao has fought only once in that weight class, winning the vacant WBC Junior Middleweight Title against Antonio Margarito by unanimous decision. Pacquiao vacated that title right after he won it, and has said that he feels more comfortable fighting at welterweight. Would he move up one more time for a rematch with Cotto? If they did fight again at the higher weight, and Cotto makes the adjustments in the rematch, just as he did against Antonio Margarito, would the fight be any different? It would be very interesting to find out.
Lastly a recent new comer has just been added to the list. Newly crowned WBA and IBF Junior Welterweight Champion Lamont Peterson is now being mentioned as a potential opponent. His recent scintillating performance against former champion Amir Khan, has earned him this consideration. Although he fights at junior welterweight, Lamont Peterson has been known to get as high as 155 lbs on fight night and would most likely weigh more than Pacquiao in the ring. Standing at 5’9” he would also have a considerable height advantage over the 5’6.5” Pacquiao, clearly making him the larger man. He may be physically stronger than Manny as well. Peterson is also a very technically skilled boxer, and may even have the advantage in that area too. Pacquiao is the faster fighter and has more pop in his punches. With all that being said, because of his physical strength and style, I feel Peterson is a tough fight for anyone in between 140-147. Manny has shown to have problems with guys who give him space or smoother him on the inside. Peterson is a very versatile fighter, who can fight on the outside, as well the inside. If he is able to stay out of the midrange area of the pocket, he may be able to avoid that lightning rod straight left from Pacquiao. Peterson is an exceptional body pucher, as was shown in his last fight against Khan. If Pacquiao allows him to get close, in his chest, and is forced back to the ropes, Peterson will be able to unleash those hellacious body shots. This is what makes this fight interesting. If Manny chooses to stand and trade with his back up against the ropes against the bigger stronger Peterson, will he be able to stand up to those body shots? This is another fight that could surprise a lot of people.