IS `PRETTY BOY` NEXT?

By Gerry Ramos

LAS VEGAS – The people had spoken.

As Manny Pacquiao was basking in the glory of his remarkable win over Miguel Cotto Saturday night, the capacity crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here chanted, with all clarity, the name of the fighter it wanted the pound-for-pound king to face next.

“We want Floyd! We want Floyd!” were the words that reverberated throughout the packed stadium.

Floyd of course, is `Pretty Boy’ Mayweather Jr., the unbeaten, former five-time world champion, whom Pacquiao supplanted as the world’s pound-for-pound king upon his retirement in 2008.

He has since un-retired and fought Juan Manuel Marquez two months ago in a bout Mayweather thoroughly dominated.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach has been vocal from the very beginning that he wants a piece of the 32-year old American.

“I think that’s the fight the whole world wants to see. I want Mayweather. I want Manny to kick his ass,” said the three-time Trainer of the Year.

The split in the prize purse is what preventing what many projects as the biggest boxing fight from ever happening.

“If Floyd wants a 65-35 split, he’s not gonna get it,” Roach stressed.

Top Rank Promotions’ Bob Arum butted in and said, “we’ll offer him that Freddie,” to which Roach snapped back, “we’ll get the 65 and give him 35.”

But a ray of hope for the highly-anticipated fight to take place is fast gaining grounds.

Ross Greenberg, president of HBO, announced during the post-fight press conference that Golden Boy Promotions Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Schaefer will be calling Arum next week to possibly serve as the third party to make the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight possible.

Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions combined together to put up the Marquez-Mayweather encounter last September. The fight was a big draw, earning more than a million in Pay-Per-View hits.

“He (Schaefer) plans to come in and meet with Bob next week to make the Mayweather fight. So I think you can all hope and pray that a fight of that magnitude and importance to the sports of boxing can truly be made because it is time to capitalize on all the hard work that was done over the last three months and we can look forward to one of the biggest events in boxing history.

“Let’s see what happens. Stay tune.”

For Pacquiao, he’s leaving it all up to Arum to make the call.

“My job is to fight in the ring. It’s my promoter’s job to make the fights,” he said.

Arum said the line is open if Mayweather really wants to take on Pacquiao.

“If mayweather wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, he knows who to call. Period. Period. No baloney. Not that I hate him or he hates me that doesn’t matter. If he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao let him call me,” said the 78-year old boxing promoter.