Pacquiao-Berto in play if no Mayweather fightATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Your weekly rando

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Your weekly random thoughts …

In the aftermath of Manny Pacquiao's massive destruction of Antonio Margarito last Saturday night (HBO's replay is tonight at 10 ET if you missed it), pretty much all anyone can talk about is what might be next for the punching congressman.

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: Shane Mosley (who claims he's a free agent from Golden Boy and who, along with new manager James Prince, has met with Arum), lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez (who would have to win his fight next week against Michael Katsidis and then have Top Rank and archrival Golden Boy come together to make a deal for their third fight) and junior middleweight titlist Miguel Cotto, whom Arum promotes and who has already lost to Pacquiao by definitive knockout.

However, as Yoda would say, "There is another."

It's welterweight titlist Andre Berto. He has yet another soft-touch defense on HBO against Freddy Hernandez on the Marquez-Katsidis undercard that he has to win, but Arum called Lou DiBella, Berto's promoter, this week to talk to him about the fight. DiBella has a clear understanding that any talks he has (or any other promoter has) about a potential Pacquiao fight are strictly in the event that Mayweather, who has been reluctant to fight Pacquiao and now has serious legal issues hanging over his head, either won't or can't take the fight.

I like the choice. At this point I have no interest in seeing Pacquiao-Mosley. That ship has sailed. Mosley has been a great fighter, but he's 39 now and obviously fading fast. He looked terrible in his past two fights (a wipeout loss to Mayweather in May and a controversial draw with Sergio Mora in September). If the Fight Freaks in my weekly chatathon are any indication, they have no interest, either. Tough fight to sell and Arum knows it.

I don't have much interest in a Cotto rematch, either, and I doubt it happens anyway. Arum knows there is big money in making a rematch between Cotto and Margarito.

I'd be fine with a third fight with Marquez, but there is the thorny issue of the promotional battle as well as the fact Marquez was not effective at welterweight, which he would have to move up to for the fight.

So that leaves Berto (

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). That fight makes sense. HBO is desperate to get the coddled Berto into a serious fight and Berto could make a career payday against Pacquiao. And with DiBella and Arum having a good relationship it means Arum could do the fight without seeing or speaking to Al Haymon, Berto's manager, whom Arum despises.

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• So trainer Freddie Roach claimed Pacquiao had a bad training camp getting ready for Margarito. Well, I'd hate to see what he would have done to Margarito with a good one.


http://espn.go.com/sports/boxing/blo...yweather-fight

 

berto and bradley........both young and champ!