By: Blake Dreisbach on October 10, 2011
WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KO) will be taking on lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KO) on Nov. 12, but the fight, which is the third between the two, doesn't have many fans as excited as other challengers would.
Over the last couple years, Pacquiao has looked unstoppable. Through super featherweight to lightweight, welterweight and light middleweight, the challengers get bigger and tougher but the fights still appear one-sided.
The only man to give him a reasonable challenge is Marquez, who is 1-0-1 against the Filipino superstar.
Still, there are many other fighters out there that fans would like to see Pacquiao face more than the blown-up lightweight.
Here are 10 we'd rather see him face.
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Over the last couple years, Pacquiao has looked unstoppable. Through super featherweight to lightweight, welterweight and light middleweight, the challengers get bigger and tougher but the fights still appear one-sided.
The only man to give him a reasonable challenge is Marquez, who is 1-0-1 against the Filipino superstar.
Still, there are many other fighters out there that fans would like to see Pacquiao face more than the blown-up lightweight.
Here are 10 we'd rather see him face.
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WBA world lightweight champion Marcos Maidana is an exciting boxer to watch, and his fight of the year candidates versus Erik Morales, Victor Ortiz and Amir Khan prove it.
If not for close decision losses to Khan and Andriy Kotelnyk, Maidana could possibly be undefeated. His all-action style of fighting makes him susceptible to crafty boxers and counter-punchers, but he has proven before that he can overcome the odds and pull out the victory when the fight gets tough.
He has gotten up off the canvas to fight and beat some fight very good fighters, including Ortiz.
Maybe Pacquiao could be the first one to keep him there.
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If not for close decision losses to Khan and Andriy Kotelnyk, Maidana could possibly be undefeated. His all-action style of fighting makes him susceptible to crafty boxers and counter-punchers, but he has proven before that he can overcome the odds and pull out the victory when the fight gets tough.
He has gotten up off the canvas to fight and beat some fight very good fighters, including Ortiz.
Maybe Pacquiao could be the first one to keep him there.
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Andre Berto recently won the IBF welterweight title when he stopped Jan Zaveck in the fifth round of their bout in September.
That comeback win followed a fight of the year candidate versus Victor Ortiz in April, but it was one that Berto lost. In fact, it was the first loss of his career, which began at super middleweight in 2004.
Berto was able to get off the canvas twice, and even returned the favor to Ortiz two times as well before the end of the fight.
If Berto is only going to lose fight of the year candidates, who wouldn't mind seeing him do it against Pacquiao?
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That comeback win followed a fight of the year candidate versus Victor Ortiz in April, but it was one that Berto lost. In fact, it was the first loss of his career, which began at super middleweight in 2004.
Berto was able to get off the canvas twice, and even returned the favor to Ortiz two times as well before the end of the fight.
If Berto is only going to lose fight of the year candidates, who wouldn't mind seeing him do it against Pacquiao?
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Don't be surprised if former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz ends up being the next opponent Pacquiao faces.
It's no mystery that Pacquiao usually faces Mayweather's opponents, and he has done it on several occasions after the undefeated boxer put a loss on their records.
It would be hard to measure how Pacquiao's success for Ortiz compares to that of Mayweather's, which included using a legal sucker punch to knock out the 24-year-old in the fourth round.
Even if Pacquiao can't finish Ortiz in under four, it promises to be an entertaining fight. Would anyone be surprised if he did?
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It's no mystery that Pacquiao usually faces Mayweather's opponents, and he has done it on several occasions after the undefeated boxer put a loss on their records.
It would be hard to measure how Pacquiao's success for Ortiz compares to that of Mayweather's, which included using a legal sucker punch to knock out the 24-year-old in the fourth round.
Even if Pacquiao can't finish Ortiz in under four, it promises to be an entertaining fight. Would anyone be surprised if he did?
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WBA world lightweight champion Brandon Rios is one of boxing's most exciting young stars.
He might not carry the weight as well if he decides to move up, but an eventual fight with Pacquiao at welterweight could be a fight that many people get behind, especially if the 25-year-old remains unbeaten.
Rios has won eight of his last nine fights by TKO. They include victories over Miguel Acosta, Urbano Antillon, Anthony Peterson and Jorge Luis Teron.
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He might not carry the weight as well if he decides to move up, but an eventual fight with Pacquiao at welterweight could be a fight that many people get behind, especially if the 25-year-old remains unbeaten.
Rios has won eight of his last nine fights by TKO. They include victories over Miguel Acosta, Urbano Antillon, Anthony Peterson and Jorge Luis Teron.
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Undefeated and considered to be the next best thing, UK's Kell Brook is one of the boxing's best up-and-comers, and his recent stoppage victory over Rafal Jackiewicz proved he is the real deal.
Brook became the first opponent to stop the veteran boxer in the sixth round to improve his record to 25-0 with 17 knockouts.
Many are calling him the next Naseem Hamed, and he has been backing up that notion with wins over Jackiewicz, Lovemore Ndou and Michael Jennings.
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Brook became the first opponent to stop the veteran boxer in the sixth round to improve his record to 25-0 with 17 knockouts.
Many are calling him the next Naseem Hamed, and he has been backing up that notion with wins over Jackiewicz, Lovemore Ndou and Michael Jennings.
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Pacquiao has had more than enough experience sparring with WBA and IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan.
Both train under Freddie Roach, and the results have been exponential for both. Roach recently stated he would choose Pacquiao over Khan if he had to train one to go up against the other, and maybe that can give fans a sense of what he really thinks of the matchup.
Khan will have an upcoming challenge in the form of Lamont Peterson, but his eight-fight win streak is impressive in itself. Wins over Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana, Paul Malignaggi and Paul McCloskey have made Khan a star.
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Both train under Freddie Roach, and the results have been exponential for both. Roach recently stated he would choose Pacquiao over Khan if he had to train one to go up against the other, and maybe that can give fans a sense of what he really thinks of the matchup.
Khan will have an upcoming challenge in the form of Lamont Peterson, but his eight-fight win streak is impressive in itself. Wins over Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana, Paul Malignaggi and Paul McCloskey have made Khan a star.
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Mexican boxer and WBC light middleweight champion Saul Alvarez is one of boxing's youngest stars, and at 21, has extended his undefeated record to 38-0-1 with 28 knockouts.
They don't call Pacquiao "The Mexicutioner" for no reason. Wins over Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Antonio Margarito and Marquez give Pacquiao a mental advantage over any opponent he faces from the country. Could he get in the head of a youthful Alvarez before the fight even begins?
Alvarez exploded onto the boxing scene in 2010 with five victories, including knockouts of Carlos Baldomir and Jose Miguel Cotto.
His size might pose problems for Pacquiao, but it's the hype that really carries a fight well. He has plenty of that.
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They don't call Pacquiao "The Mexicutioner" for no reason. Wins over Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Antonio Margarito and Marquez give Pacquiao a mental advantage over any opponent he faces from the country. Could he get in the head of a youthful Alvarez before the fight even begins?
Alvarez exploded onto the boxing scene in 2010 with five victories, including knockouts of Carlos Baldomir and Jose Miguel Cotto.
His size might pose problems for Pacquiao, but it's the hype that really carries a fight well. He has plenty of that.
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A fight with WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley might be the toughest to market, but it's certainly one that needs to happen if the 28-year-old continues to extend his undefeated record.
Bradley will get a less than exhilarating challenge against Joel Casamayor on the undercard of Pacquiao vs. Marquez, but at least we get to see him back in action.
The California native has been inactive since defeated Devon Alexander in January. The fight was a dud, and it's something Bradley needs to erase the memory of. If the fight with Casamayor doesn't do that, and it probably won't, maybe he can accept a challenge with Pacquiao.
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Bradley will get a less than exhilarating challenge against Joel Casamayor on the undercard of Pacquiao vs. Marquez, but at least we get to see him back in action.
The California native has been inactive since defeated Devon Alexander in January. The fight was a dud, and it's something Bradley needs to erase the memory of. If the fight with Casamayor doesn't do that, and it probably won't, maybe he can accept a challenge with Pacquiao.
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