Pacquiao okays Cotto as next foe

MANILA, Philippines -- Impressed by the tremendous amount of fan support Miguel Cotto generated in his welterweight fight yesterday, Manny Pacquiao has given promoter Bob Arum the go signal to arrange a fight between the two stars.

Speaking to Michael Marley of The Examiner, Arum -- who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto -- said he already has penciled November 14 as the targeted date for the Pacquiao-Cotto showdown.

Pacquiao sat ringside with Arum as Cotto carved out a hard-fought split decision win over the tough Joshua Clottey to retain his WBO welterweight strap yesterday at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Puerto Rican fought on despite sustaining a deep gash in the left eyebrow.

"Manny told me what to do. Manny told me 'Go ahead, make that fight.' So it will go Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand here in (Las) Vegas," Arum told Marley. "He (Pacquiao) was impressed by Cotto's fan support and told me it reminded him of how the British fans stand with Ricky Hatton."

A proposed Pacquiao-Cotto bout became more likely after Floyd Mayweather -- one of Pacquiao's targeted opponents -- announced he is calling off his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez because of a rib injury he sustained while training.

Mayweather is originally slated to face Marquez on July 18. With the injury, however, their fight is reportedly being rescheduled to September 19 -- making a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout unlikely to happen within the year.

Arum, meanwhile, assured that Cotto is enthusiastic with the prospect of a Pacquiao bout.

"Miguel is delighted to get a fight against Manny, trust me. Miguel very much wants this fight. It will be a sensational fight (with) the way they attack," Arum said. - By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)