No Floyd: Roach eyes 3 other foes for Pacquiao

HOLLYWOOD – Sugar Shane Mosley, Andre Berto and, hold your breath, Juan Manuel Marquez. These are the three names trainer Freddie Roach mentioned as likely Manny Pacquiao opponents if ever Floyd Mayweather Jr. plays hard to get and turns down a juicy, super-fight with the boxing icon from the Philippines. Mosley and Berto climb the ring on January 30 in Las Vegas in a fight pitting the two reigning world welterweight champions. Mosley is currently the World Boxing Association (WBA) 147-pound king, while Berto holds the World Boxing Council (WBC) version of the title. “Maybe the winner of the Mosley-Berto fight can be a great fight. That’s a very difficult fight for both sides," said Roach. The only boxer in history to beat Oscar De La Hoya twice, Mosley has been adamant calling out to some of boxing’s big names, including Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr, to fight him in the ring, but never gets the big-time bout he really wanted. Left out of the equation, Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) was forced to accept a match with the unbeaten Berto (25-0, 19 KOs), the Haitian-American, who represented Haiti in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Roach is also not discounting a third and final meeting with Marquez, the loud-mouth Mexican aching to meet Pacquiao again after drawing once and then losing a split decision against the Filipino ring idol in their two previous encounters the last four years. “Or we can do Marquez one more time and give him a rematch," said the three-time Trainer of the Year. “We can fight anybody. Who knows, it will definitely be a big fight." Pacquiao earlier mentioned that another meeting with the 36-year old Marquez would no longer be a draw, stressing, “walang manood diyan kapag si Marquez ang kalaban (no one would anymore watch my fight against Marquez)."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Roach thinks otherwise. “I disagree," the trainer snaps back. “I think it’s the history they have. He almost got him the last time," he said of the split decision Pacquiao eked out in their rematch that saw the pound-for-pound king knocked down the Mexican in the third round. “With the history they have, it makes me want to see. We can put that fight in Texas, or maybe in the Philippines." Marquez was beaten by Mayweather Jr. last September during Floyd’s comeback fight. The one-sided match was the Mexican’s first foray as a welterweight. If ever Pacquiao fights Marquez again, Roach said the bout should be within the welterweight limit. “145. I like that weight for Manny," he added. – GMANews.TV