Pacquiao eyeing Marquez in November

Manny Pacquiao still was inside the MGM Grand Garden ring celebrating his lopsided win over Shane Mosley on Saturday night when his promoter, Bob Arum, approached reporters at ringside.

The Top Rank chairman wanted to talk about Pacquiao's next fight, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.

Earlier Saturday, Arum met with Juan Manuel Marquez, who has staged two epic battles with Pacquiao, about a third meeting with boxing's pound-for-pound king. Top Rank initially had offered Marquez a contract two weeks ago, but Marquez turned it down, reportedly wanting more money.

"We've made a revised offer to Marquez," Arum said. "We will send it to his lawyers (today) and we believe he will accept."

But there's a potential deal-breaker: Golden Boy Promotions, which has the right of last refusal to participate in any fight Marquez takes through next February, may insist on being involved. Arum said if that's the case, there will be no Pacquiao-Marquez fight.

"We're not doing business with people who steal other people's fighters," he said, referring to reigning bantamweight champ Nonito Donaire, who Golden Boy tried to sign away from Top Rank in March and whose contract was found invalid in court. Donaire's case has gone to arbitration. A decision is expected in June.

If Pacquiao-Marquez III doesn't materialize, Arum said options include current IBF junior welterweight champion Zab Judah and Timothy Bradley, the WBC and WBO junior welterweight champ. And, as always, there's the specter of Floyd Mayweather Jr. lurking, should he decide to get back in the ring.

Arum hasn't heard from Mayweather, and the likelihood Mayweather and Pacquiao would meet in 2011 isn't good.

"He knows us," Arum said of Mayweather. "If he had any desire to fight Manny Pacquiao, he would call Todd (duBoef, Top Rank president) and tell us. We have that kind of relationship with him.

"He said if he comes back, he wants a tune-up fight. If that's the case, it wouldn't be until next year that he would be available (to fight Pacquiao)."

Pacquiao (54-3-2), who won his 14th straight fight and dominated Mosley over 12 rounds in earning a unanimous decision, said he'll leave it up to Arum as to whom he fights next. As for Pacquiao's performance Saturday, he said he was surprised that Mosley wasn't more aggressive.

"I was expecting him to fight me toe-to-toe so we could test our power, our stamina," Pacquiao said at Saturday's postfight news conference where Paris Hilton somehow found a spot on the dais. "I am glad I won, but I want people to be satisfied with my performance."

Because Mosley couldn't or wouldn't engage Pacquiao, many in the sellout crowd of 16,412 booed the lack of action. Mosley, 39, said after the fight it wasn't in his best interests to trade with Pacquiao.

"I wasn't going to take those kind of risks," he said. "I was looking to land my shot."

That never happened. Despite his left leg cramping in the fourth round, Pacquiao moved well enough to keep Mosley at bay.

"He just tried to survive," Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said of Mosley, whose record fell to 46-7-1. "When you get to that point, it's time to call it a day."

Mosley said he will contemplate whether he wants to continue his career. Arum said Top Rank has no further contractual obligations with Mosley and, by shifting gears to Marquez, he attempted to quickly put Mosley in his rearview mirror.

But if the Marquez fight falls through and Pacquiao does meet either Judah or Bradley, both of whom would be huge underdogs, Arum said people will still buy the pay per view.

"People will pay to see Manny Pacquiao," Arum said. "It's not about who the opponent is. People want to watch Manny perform."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.