Thus far on the Internet, the feedback on Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley hasn't exactly been a ringing endorsement for the May 2011 tilt. In fact, there's downright anger being spewed by fight fans and the boxing media.
Pacquiao just fought two lower-tier guys in Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito. They were easy sells at Cowboys Stadium. Now it's time to get back to facing opponents with a real shot of competing with the world's pound-for-pound king.
Over the last year, several legitimate opponents raised their level of fame and would make for great fights. There's a familiar foe and lots of 20-somethings. They'd all give "Pac-Man" a better test.
1. Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5, 38 KOs)
Outside of Erik Morales, JMM is the only guy to even compete with Pacquiao in the last six years and he did it twice! They fought 24 rounds that were scored a combined 779-778. Marquez would bring a massive Mexican backing. Why couldn't Bob Arum make a third fight? We were told the problem was Marquez's request of a guaranteed $5 million. Now we know that was a lame excuse since Mosley is getting somewhere in the neighborhood of $5-7 million.
2. Pacquiao vs. Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KOs)
This won't happen anytime soon and may never happen. Freddie Roach trains both fighters, so for now the only way to see them fight is during occasional sparring sessions. Khan, 24, has huge potential with the backing of British fight fans. He's also got the speed and more than enough size to give Pacquiao trouble.
3. Pacquiao vs. Marcos Maidana (29-2, 27 KOs)
Sure Maidana lost his last fight, but it was a razor-thin decision in what may be the Fight of the Year against Khan. Maidana isn't one-tenth the boxer of Pacquiao, but he would be a threat each second of the fight and would be willing to take a beating.
4. Pacquiao vs. Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs)
Pac-Man really has no business fighting 147-pounders. He maxes out around 145. There'd be no issue facing, Berto, a small welterweight. The 27-year-old's got great speed and good knockout power. He could also help sell the fight. The highlight of his first-round knockout against Freddy Hernandez last month would be shown ad nauseum. Berto, with his Haitian roots, would also be a good character on a 24/7.
5. Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs)
Bradley, 27, is the least known of this group, but he may the toughest matchup for Pacquiao. His speed and footwork are excellent. If he impresses against Devon Alexander next month in Detroit, he's got to be in the mix following Pacquiao's win over Mosley.
Until Floyd Mayweather is cleared of multiple felony charges he's facing in Las Vegas, he shouldn't even be mentioned on any Pac-Man wish list.
We also left off much bigger fighters like Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams. In his November tussle, Pacquiao took some heavy damage at the hands of Margarito. Arum and Roach will never take that chance again.
Bonnie Jill Laflin Joanna Krupa Ashley Olsen Danneel Harris Veronika Vaeková
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