Bob Arum rules out Manny Pacquiao-Sergio Martinez for time being
After much ado, the inevitable for many boxing fans has been confirmed. Bob Arum has ruled out Sergio Martinez as a prospective opponent for eight-division titleist Manny Pacquiao.
Following tremendous respective wins, fans couldn’t help but entertain a prospective fight between “Pacman” and “Maravilla” this week, despite Martinez being a natural middleweight (160-pounds) and Pacquiao struggling to make even welterweight status (147-pounds)
in his last bout.
Pacquiao’s last victim was Antonio Margarito, whom he out-boxed for twelve vicious rounds at the Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 13.
Saturday Martinez matched the excitement of Pacquiao’s bout and skyrocketed to boxing fame by sending opponent Paul Williams to the canvas in two short rounds, completely rewriting a bout many analysts expected to go the distance.
As WBC junior middleweight champion, Pacquiao fighting “Maravilla,” the WBC middleweight seemed all the more imperative to many in the boxing community.
But Arum has different designs.
“It is an absurd proposal, at least [for] right now,” Arum recently told Michael Marley of The Examiner.
“Manny is going to fight as high as 147 pounds, for right now, and that's that. I've got Freddie Roach's approval and agreement on that. Manny has other options at this point," Arum confirmed.
In a recent appearance on On the Ropes Boxing Radio, Martinez said he could make weight at either 160-pounds or 154-pounds for Pacquiao.
But Pacquiao, against Margarito, wasn’t even able to make the contracted 150-pound catchweight. The Philippine congressman tipped the scales at 144.6-pounds, indicating how difficult it is for him to fight in higher weight divisions.
It is very unlikely Martinez would be willing or even able to go lower than junior middleweight.
Arum expressed doubts based on the fact that in giving up so much weight against bigger fighters, Pacquiao is vulnerable to be hurt, even if he is able to outpoint them in the ring.
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