Who's NEXT? Mayweather?

LOS ANGELES – So who’s next for Manny Pacquiao?

Well, at least for now, he’s got Ricky Hatton to his left, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to his right.

And all Pacquiao has to do is choose.

Pacquiao, fresh from his eight-round destruction of Oscar de la Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, said Sunday that the Mayweather camp had sent feelers about a possible fight with the Filipino superstar.

“They sent a message to us that if I beat De la Hoya, he will come out of retirement to face me,” said Pacquiao, referring to Mayweather who suddenly retired after beating De la Hoya and Hatton last year.

But following Pacquiao’s unbelievable win that pushed De la Hoya closer to retirement, there are calls for another big match, another dream match against Mayweather, the former pound-for-pound champion.

Pacquiao now wears that billing, and a fight with Mayweather, sometime in May or June, will be another great night of boxing.

But Hatton wants to face Pacquiao, too, and also offers a huge opportunity at 140 pounds. Pacquiao said he’s also willing to face the British superstar even if it means fighting him at the Wembley Stadium in England.

But whoever it is, Pacquiao should be in for another huge payday.

“Whoever is fine. You know me,” said Pacquiao inside his customized bus as he travelled four hours to get back to Los Angeles. He took the front seat with his pregnant wife Jinkee and was joined by relatives and friends.

“Are there any more Mexicans out there? I think Zorro is the only one left,” said the fighter who has beaten some of the great fighters from Mexico - Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Looking back at the fight against De la Hoya, Pacquiao said his speed, and good head and body movement enabled him to take away De la Hoya’s jab, and that made it easier for him in dominating his taller opponent.

“He couldn’t move anymore because I was so fast. And each time he threw his jab, I countered. That’s what we trained for - how to counter. I was a moving target and it was very difficult for him to catch me,” he added.

Pacquiao said he was only worried about his head because he knew De la Hoya’s jab and left hook are one of the best in the sport, and that he was never worried getting hit in the body.

“Imagine, I did 2,500 sit-ups a day so I didn’t have to worry about my body. De la Hoya worried about both his head and body. That’s why he looked so scared each time I hit him. I heard him moan after I hit him once in the body,” he remembered.

“Para siyang kandilang unti-unting nau-upos,” Pacquiao said.

The Filipino champion thought that it would have been over in the ninth round if De la Hoya got up his stool to answer the bell because he knew he had him, and that’s what his trainer Freddie Roach told him.

“Manny, this is it. Finish him off. Knock him out. You’ve got him,” he was told during the break.

And so he said he was surprised when he saw De la Hoya walking toward him, thinking he was charging at him until he saw his cornermen signaling the end of the fight.

Pacquiao said he felt that at 148 1⁄2, his weight when he climbed the ring against De la Hoya, he was even faster when he fought David Diaz for the WBC lightweight (135 lbs) crown only last June.

“Imagine, I’ve jumped and fought in three weight divisions this year,” he said, reminding everyone that last March he also defeated Marquez for the WBC super-featherweight (130 lbs) title.

Pacquiao said that after the fight, he received a phone call from Diaz, and he was surprised with what he said.

“Oh, man. You’re unbelievable. What kind of human (being) are you. You were so fast,” Pacquiao remembered Diaz as telling him.

Source: http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=422437