Arum: Mosley leads Pacquiao sweepstakes

This early, Sugar Shane Mosley appears to be the primary candidate for the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum believes a Pacquiao fight with Mosley will not only draw the crowd. It will also be a competitive fight. Years of fighting against the best boxers such as Oscar De La Hoya, Winky Wright, Fernando Vargas, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, and of late, Floyd Mayweather Jr., have certainly made Mosley one of boxing’s household names. And Mosley has definitely developed a following. Despite Mosley losing his 12-round encounter with Floyd Jr. in May, and settling for a draw with Sergio Mora in September, Arum believes he remains a marketable fighter. “Don’t forget, Mosley beat Oscar (De La Hoya) twice and had a fight with (Floyd) Mayweather. Mosley has just been on the big stage for a long, long time and people know who he is," said Arum in an interview with the Examiner. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao’s long-time Mexican rival. Marquez is coming off a ninth-round stoppage of Michael Katsidis, boosting his stock for a possible third encounter with the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter today. On Sunday, Marquez called out the Filipino boxing icon anew. The Mexican counter-puncher wants a third bout with the man he believes he defeated in their first two bouts. Pacquiao and Marquez fought twice in the last six years, with both bouts ending in controversy. Their first meeting in 2004 was called a draw despite Pacquiao knocking down Marquez three times in the first round. Their rematch in 2008 saw the Filipino escaping with a split decision. Following Marquez’s ninth round technical knockout of Katsidis to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight belts, the 37-year-old Mexican warrior made a case for himself and a possible third fight with his Filipino nemesis next year. A trilogy would be seen as a dramatic come-on in selling the fight, but Arum thinks otherwise. The man who’s been promoting boxing for the past 40 years believes a Pacquiao bout with Marquez won’t become a big hit. “It’s not about Marquez’s boxing ability. It is all about the marketing of the fight," said the 78-year-old Top Rank chairman. Arum points out the pay-per-view buys of Pacquiao-Marquez II, which only got 400,000. Like Arum, Pacquiao has little interest in meeting Marquez. The boxer-turned-congressman of the province of Sarangani is convinced people are no longer interested in watching him meet up with a fighter whom he may have beaten twice. “The truth is, Marquez is not even a big seller in the Mexican market," said Arum, who mentioned Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and recent Pacquiao victim Antonio Margarito as the three top boxing attractions in Mexico. “Marquez does not compare to any of the three. I don’t know if it is because they were more extroverted in personality or more balls-out-type fighters, or what." Mosley, according to Arum, has more of a fan base in terms of pay-per-view. His May non-title fight with Mayweather Jr. is still the most-watched fight in 2010, with 1.4 million hits. Marquez’s biggest fight in terms of pay-per-view was his 2009 encounter with Mayweather Jr., which drew 1 million buys. The large number of buys attested to the marketability of Floyd Jr., who was making a comeback after taking a leave from the sport for a year. “When it comes to pay-per-view, Marquez is only a `B side’ guy. When he fought (Juan) Diaz, that fight did absolutely no business," said Arum. Mosley’s name has cropped up as the frontrunner in the Pacquiao sweepstakes as Mayweather Jr. remains silent about a possible clash with the Filipino southpaw next year. “I don’t worry about who the bloggers think is the best opponent. I really don’t care what the writers say or even what the hardcore boxing followers say when it comes to this. I know we need to pick the opponent who is the most familiar to the casual sports fan, the casual boxing fan who cannot name all the fighters," added Arum. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV