When ruminating about who the next opponent for Manny Pacquiao will be last week, Bob Arum suggested two possibilities: the winner of Martinez vs. Williams and Shane Mosley. After last night’s shocking knockout of Paul Williams, little doubt exists in my mind that Arum will choose Martinez. The 35 year old Argentine just has too many advantages for Team Pacman for it to turn out any other way.
First, a fight with Sergio Martinez is a win-win situation for Pacquiao. If Manny Pacquiao continues to defy the physics of mass and wins that fight, he adds the WBC Middleweight Title to his growing collection of laurels. In so doing, Pacquaio would not only surpass his modern rival Floyd Mayweather, but would also solidify a claim to being the greatest fighter of all-time. For decades, that slot has been the province of either Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson. Yet after seizing a 160 lbs championship from a worthy fighter like Martinez, Pacman would surely make that duo a trio. In so doing, he would leave Floyd Mayweather in the dust. If Manny Pacquiao should lose a clash with Martinez, his legion of fans would still adore him and everyone else would simply decide that middleweight was a bridge too far.
Compared to that, Shane Mosley looks like small potatoes. True, Mosley has name recognition and star power, but a fight with the Sweet One would be feasting on Mayweather’s sloppy seconds. Manny Pacquiao does not need a famous opponent to generate publicity or rake in the cash, so a Mosley match-up is essentially a lateral move. Duking it out with Sergio Martinez is going forward.
Finally, fighting Martinez would involve fewer promotional complications than squaring off with Shane Mosley. Mosley is a partner in Golden Boy Promotions, the bitter arch-rival of Pacquiao’s promoter Top Rank Bob Arum. Sergio Martinez is promoted by Lou DiBella. I doubt Top Rank honcho Bob Arum would pass on the chance to cut Golden Boy out of a serious payday if given the chance, and certainly not under circumstances that would make his main attraction (Pacman) yet more famous.
With Arum’s own stable of potential opponents for Manny Pacquiao cleaned out, he will need to look to outside promoters for his next fight. Given the pros and cons of the situation, that man will almost certainly be Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez.
