Timothy Bradley inches closer to Manny Pacquiao; Floyd Mayweather out of the picture
Monday, January 30th, 2012 4:41:26 by Imran Shaukat Khan
Timothy Bradley inches closer to Manny Pacquiao; Floyd Mayweather out of the picture
The chances of the most eagerly awaited fight between the pound-for-pound kings, Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Manny Pacquiao, on May 5 this year, have completely faded now because Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, has confirmed that the American superstar is nowhere in the picture at this point in time. However, Arum revealed that junior welterweight champion, Timothy Bradley, has now become the most likely opponent for the Filipino star.
“Does it look closer to being Bradley? It looks closer to being Bradley, obviously, by the process of elimination,” Arum said in an interview with RingTV.com.
The undefeated American legend, Mayweather Jnr, who is a five-division world champion and the current WBC welterweight champion, finally challenged Pacquiao for their mega-fight on May 5 but the deal between the two once again couldn’t get real after Mayweather said he doesn’t want to have a 50/50 split with Pacquiao.
“Floyd is out of the picture for May. He put himself out of the picture for May,” Arum added. “Any discussion with Floyd was over when he said he wouldn’t go for the 50-50 split.”
Alongside Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Lamont Peterson and Miguel Cotto were also shortlisted for Manny Pacquiao but they doesn’t seem to have any chance of a big fight with the man, who is regarded as one of the best fighters on the planet.
The Mexican Dinamita, Marquez, is currently looking for a fight in his native Mexican city while Peterson will most likely fight Amir Khan, as the World Boxing Council has ordered a Khan-Peterson rematch. Miguel Cotto had pretty bright chances but he doesn’t want to fight Pacquiao at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds and due to all these facts, Bradley has now become the front-runner for Pacquiao.
Nevertheless, Arum insisted Cotto can still become a candidate, if he agrees to make the weight.
“What happens if Miguel Cotto comes back and says, ‘Okay, I’ll make the weight?’ That opens up another possibility,” Arum said.
“But right now, he’s saying that he wouldn’t.”
Well, all said and done, let’s see who fights the eight-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao, who currently holds the WBO welterweight championship belt.
Tags: Bob Arum, Boxing, Fight, Floyd Mayweaher, Manny Pacquiao, May 5, Opponent, Timothy BradleyShort URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=11097
Posted by Imran Shaukat Khan
on Jan 30 2012. Filed under Sports.
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Pacquiao really emerges as the winner if this fight doesn’t happen. For one, I think that Floyd would probably win if they did fight, but the events that have transpired makes it appear that Floyd is afraid. I also think that Manny’s legacy is in tact, but unfortunately for Floyd his legacy will forever be tied to Pacquiao and to all of the reasons why this fight never happened. If I were Arum I’d wash my hands of any further talks with Mayweather at this point. Don’t give him the time of day…your fighter will come out of this smelling clean and Mayweather will not, so why mess with it at this point?
@Tom … At this point in time Manny vs. Mayweather will be a Mayweather night, it’s my opinion.