After soundly beating Timothy Bradley (some might say for the second time) Manny Pacquiao doesn't appear to have a plethora of options going forward. He will likely take on the winner of Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mike Alvarado, but Marquez will be a favorite, and their fight would be the fifth between the pair.
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That has led to some speculation that Miguel Cotto could be an option if he gets through Sergio Martinez on June 7. They have fought before, and Pacquiao dominated much of the fight, but Cotto appeared to be a brand new fighter in his first bout with Freddie Roach in his corner. That said, don't count on this tantalizing rematch coming to fruition.
"I'm fighting at 160 right now," Cotto said. "Manny's at 147. I'm not going back down." They also share Freddie Roach as a trainer these days, which Cotto believes will give him the ultimate edge in the ring with "Maravilla."
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"Having Freddie around, I believe that is the best thing that I've done in my last three, four years, because he comes everyday trying to bring his best and to bring out the best in me," said Cotto.
"Freddie identifies some bad habits that I had before. Basic defensive kinds of things like that and we've worked on that. Freddie has made me feel comfortable and he has made me be a more focused fighter. We work with great chemistry."
So since Cotto's putting the kibosh on a Pacman bout, are there any options besides Marquez or Alvarado? He was linked to Ruslan Provodnikov before agreeing to a Bradley deal, but the "Siberian Rocky" had been hesitant since he too employs Roach as a trainer. Fans still hope for a mega fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that is most likely out of reach as well.
At Sports World News, our bet is on Pacquiao-Marquez V.
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