Manny may fight Cotto instead of Mayweather

MANILA, Philippines - There’s always a Plan B just in case Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fail to get it done in November.

According to Bob Arum, the 31-year-old Filipino superstar may end up facing Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico a second time.

“If the Mayweather deal gets made with Pacquiao, the winner of this fight (Cotto-Foreman) would be a natural for Antonio Margarito. If the Mayweather deal is not made, Pacquiao might fight Miguel Cotto, if Cotto beats Foreman, for the 154-pound title,” he said.

The chief of Top Rank Promotions, who will try his best to get the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight staged on Nov. 13 either in Texas or Las Vegas, told boxingscene.com that things should fall into place for Pacquiao even if it’s not against Mayweather.

Cotto is all set to challenge Yuri Foreman for the WBA super-welterweight crown on June 5 at the Yankee Stadium, and a victory by the wide-bodied former champion, who lost in 12 rounds to Pacquiao last November, is what some people would be hoping for.

“I don’t think Manny would fight Yuri Foreman because he says Yuri is too tall,” said Arum of Foreman, who stands very close to six feet.

In case Cotto beats Foreman, Pacquiao can give him a chance to avenge his brutal defeat last November. It also gives Pacquiao a crack at his eighth world title in eight different weight classes. As it is, he’s the only one with seven crowns under his belt.

Negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather superfight are silently on, and reports are out that it may or may not happen at all because of disagreements in the drug-testing procedure or anything that may have to do with the purse split.

Both Pacquiao and Mayweather stand to receive around $40 million each if they agree to stage the fight, the biggest in their respective careers, and one that should finally decide who the world’s greatest pound-for-pound champion is.

The odds are out even if the fight is not yet sealed, and Mayweather stands as a -150 favorite, meaning you need $150 to win a hundred bucks, against Pacquiao who’s at +120, meaning your $100 wins $120.

The odds, however, will only stand if the fight takes place in 2010.

But while oddsmakers are putting their money on the undefeated American, a legendary champion, Aaron Pryor, is rooting for Pacquiao.