With no word from Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao seeks new opponent

By Brett Okamoto

Friday, July 16, 2010 | 1:09 a.m.

Top Rank’s deadline for Floyd Mayweather Jr. to accept a deal to fight Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13 of this year came and went Friday at midnight, producing the same result boxing fans are tiring of hearing.

Still no mega-fight.

Just moments after Friday’s deadline passed, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum held a conference call to inform media members he will begin looking for a new opponent to face Pacquiao on Nov. 13 as soon as next week.

Currently, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito are the two names being considered.

“I’ll tell you that next week I’ll be talking to the Cotto camp and the Margarito camp regarding a fight with Manny Pacquiao,” Arum said.

“People have asked me, ‘Does that mean the Mayweather fight is dead?’ My answer is simple. It’s dead when we conclude a deal with a new opponent. If in that interim, Floyd suddenly emerged and said he wanted to fight, there would be nothing opposed to getting together to do it.”

Throughout the call, Arum stressed he has not been in contact with anyone from Mayweather’s camp. The two sides have negotiated solely through HBO President Ross Greenburg.

Arum also specified that Friday’s deadline only marked the end of an exclusivity period during which Top Rank was delaying negotiations with all other potential opponents.

“The deadline is the end of the exclusivity period,” Arum said. “We have to go out and secure an opponent for Manny Pacquiao. We have to mount a campaign, get in touch with television networks — time is going by.”

Calls placed to Mayweather's manager and close friend Leonard Ellerbe Friday were not returned.

If Pacquiao (51-3-2) is matched with another opponent, it would be the second time negotiations for a Mayweather (41-0, 25 KO) fight have fell through.

Late last year, both fighters had reportedly agreed to every detail on a contract for a fight on March 13 except drug-testing methods. The deal fell apart when Pacquiao refused to agree to the random blood tests Mayweather demanded.

According to Arum, drug testing has not played a role in the breakdown of the recent talks.

Although he declined to give specifics on the terms of the contract presented to Mayweather, Arum said he believed the issue of drug testing had been resolved.

Arum did speculate that a major reason Mayweather is hesitant to accept any fight is that his uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, is scheduled to go on trial in August on a battery charge in Las Vegas.

“I am sure that there is a very, very good reason that Floyd Mayweather is not committing to a fight at this time,” Arum said. “I’m speculating that one of the reasons for the uncertainty is that Roger Mayweather is scheduled before a court in Nevada regarding criminal charges.

“I know how Manny would feel if he had to go into a fight like this without the services of (head trainer) Freddie Roach. Presumably, Floyd would feel the same way without his uncle.”

If Mayweather remains uncommitted, the choice between Cotto and Margarito would be Pacquiao’s to make, according to Arum.

The Filipino fighter fought and defeated Cotto handily in a 12-round contest on Nov. 14, 2009.

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

Arum said the 33-year-old fighter is seeking a conditional license that would allow him to fight in Nevada on the specific date of Nov. 13. If the commission refuses that request, that matchup would have to take place outside the 50 states.

“He has asked the Nevada commission to give him a conditional license to fight in Nevada on the 13th of November,” Arum said. “Hopefully, they will agree to that.

“If not, and Manny decides he wants Margarito, we would do the fight in Monterrey, Mexico.”

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