Bob Arum posts countdown clock for Floyd Mayweather Jr.

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, July 15, 2010 | 2:16 p.m.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has added a "Countdown Clock" to his company's website indicating how much time Floyd Mayweather Jr. has left to accept a Nov. 13 fight with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.

Arum revealed to ESPN.com Tuesday his plans to find a new opponent for Pacquiao if Mayweather has not agreed to the fight by midnight Friday.

Possible replacements for the fight are Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto. Margarito would likely be the preferred choice, as Pacquiao handled Cotto in fairly dominant fashion when the two met in November 2009.

But Margarito currently is not licensed to fight in the U.S., and the Nevada State Athletic Commission tabled his recent request to obtain a license earlier this month.

The 33-year-old fighter served a one-year ban from U.S. competition beginning in February 2009 when a California inspector found an illegal substance in his handwraps prior to a fight against Shane Mosley.

Margarito has been encouraged by the Nevada commission to reapply for a license in California and, according to Top Rank officials, has plenty of time to submit that request before he'd be needed Nov. 13.

Mayweather and Pacquiao widely are considered the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the world. A potential mega-fight between them likely would be the richest in the sport's history.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting