Arum: Pacquiao-Martinez Possible, Same Day Weigh-In
A dream fight between Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38KOs) and Sergio Martinez (48-2-2, 27KOs) is possible – if Martinez agrees to a same-day weigh-in, according to Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, who promotes the Filipino superstar. Martinez is willing to drop down to a catch-weight of 150-pounds to face Pacquiao, the WBO’s champion at 147-pounds.
Arum’s concern with Martinez making 150, with 24 hours to rehydrate, is the possibility of the Argentine boxer coming to the ring at 175-pounds on the night of the fight. To prevent that, Arum would like to have both boxers make weight on a Saturday afternoon, a few hours before the fight.
“Here is the problem with Martinez. Let me tell you the problem with Martinez. Martinez says ‘I’ll fight him at 150,’ but that’s bullsh**. That means he’ll dehydrate until the afternoon of the weigh-in and come to the ring at 175, which he’s done before. What I say is, if you really want to fight Manny Pacquiao – I have a simple way to do it. You said 150, you will fight at 150, then let’s go to a commission, and not necessarily this [Las Vegas] commission….maybe New York, maybe Texas, wherever. And say ‘both fighters want to do the fight and they want to go back to the old days and we’ll weigh in on the day of the fight, at 150. If he wants to do that, we can start talking,” Arum said.
After last year’s fight with Antonio Margarito, at 150, Arum says Pacquiao and his team made a decision to avoid taking fights above the welterweight limit. Pacquiao, who tried to bulk up for Margarito, started dropping weight a few days before the fight because the added bulk was making him sluggish in the gym. Pacquiao weighed in at 144-pounds. During the fight, Margarito’s size became a factor when he trapped Pacquiao against the ropes and hurt him badly to the body.
“He was hurting for a month after that fight. We realized that he can’t continue to fight all of these bigger guys,” Arum said.