Why wait for Floyd “TBE/Money” Mayweather, Jr. to make his choice of a 5/2 opponent. Pacquaio and Top Rank’s Bob Arum ought to move ahead and use their influence to sign Miguel Cotto to a rematch with Manny. At the same time, they could push for Amir Khan to fight Kell Brook. That would leave Money with a real problem coming up with an opponent fans want to see him fight.
Why fight Cotto again? Both he and his hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach believe he is an improved fighter. Let Cotto prove it against a fighter who dominated him. See if Cotto has truly improved, and/or whether Manny has slipped. Plus, there would be another belt on the line for Manny to possibly add to his collection. Fan interest could be stimulated for a rematch, and fans would love to see Freddie wave to Cotto from Manny’s corner. He could use hand signals to relay advice and motivation.
Amir Khan vs Kell Brook would be a natural, especially if it’s fought in the UK. The technically sound “Special K” would be a good test for “King” Khan the speedster. The “Special One” might try to outbox Khan, but as Paulie Magninaggi recently mentioned, Khan is very difficult to outbox. Paulie describes Khan’s speed and movement as tough to time. Opponents find it hard to pick up his rhythm. Normally, one way to beat speed is to time the speedster, and punch with him when he is the most vulnerable. That’s not easy with Khan because of his good jab and movement. He also knows when to clinch.
Getting back to TBE, he would be forced to look elsewhere for an worthy opponent, which might be tough. Garcia vs Peterson has been signed. Dance cards of several others have been filled. Broner vs Molina, Thurman vs Guerrero, and so forth. Maybe TBE could show Chris Algieri around Vegas and discuss “Art of War” by Sun Tzu. Or, TBE could calm the Desert Storm and try to beat the man who beat Pacman, Timothy Bradley? It might be fun to watch TBE squirm a little, experiencing the asking B side instead of the telling A side.
