Top Rank head Bob Arum yesterday torpedoed trainer Freddie Roach’s proposal that Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto has to come down to 143 lbs to get a shot at Filipino pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
“That’s not realistic,” said Arum about Roach’s insistence that a catch weight of 143 lbs be imposed for the proposed Nov. 14 showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
After conferring with Cotto’s people, led by legal counsel Gabriel Penagaricano, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight champion said he is willing to meet Pacquiao halfway to make the fight happen.
“The catch weight will be 144 or 145 lbs,” said Arum, whose outfit has both fighters under his promotional banner.
Arum also revealed that Mike Koncz, Pacquiao’s Los Angeles-based adviser, has in his possession the proposal that he will present to the 30-year-old puncher later this week. Koncz, Arum noted, will travel back to the Philippines this weekend.
“I spent three to four hours with Mike today and he read the proposal and said he is very confident that Manny would approve it,” said Arum without revealing the details of the documents that Pacquiao and his lawyer Franklin Gacal would review.
“I think the proposal is very fair (to both camps),” added Arum.
Despite Cotto’s difficulties in his last outing against Joshua Clottey, Roach believes Cotto remains a very dangerous opponent for somebody like Pacquiao, who is not a natural welterweight.
Ringsiders have been very vocal about Pacquiao’s demand that a catch weight be set since the welter class has a limit of 147 lbs.
While Pacquiao has fought at welter — his ninth-round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya last year being his landmark victory — the Filipino only weighed 142 lbs for that fight.
And when Pacquiao fought at the super-lightweight class of 140 lbs against Ricky Hatton last May, he only tipped the scales at 138 lbs. Cotto weighed in at 146 lbs against Clottey and Gacal believes he can still get rid of a few pounds.
Source: mb.com.ph
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