According to numerous sources, Manny Pacquiao's scheduled November 10 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada is in jeopardy of being moved to a later date. On Monday, Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, reportedly had what was described as "an emergency meeting" with promoter Bob Arum. Although it's unclear exactly what the two discussed, sources tell us that it definitely centered around Pacquiao's proposed opponent, who has yet to be revealed. "That fight's not happening on November 10th," one source would tell us. "They need more time."
Need more time? Evidently, the opponent still hasn't been solidified because there's a disagreement on Pacquiao's guaranteed purse. Obviously, Pacquiao is of the opinion that no matter who he faces - whether it's Bradley, Marquez, or Cotto - his guarantee should not drop. Arum, however, has made it clear that a rematch with Bradley won't do "appreciable business", and the amount of money available will likely be a lot less due to the lower than expected numbers from the first fight. Similarly, Marquez is demanding a much higher purse for a fourth fight, and with no guarantee that it would outperform their third fight, Pacquiao would have to take a paycut to make that happen. The only other option is Cotto, who would likely generate the biggest pay-per-view numbers based on his recent performance against Floyd Mayweather.
Coincidentally, sources in the Philippines say that Pacquiao is now eyeing a December date for his return. "December 1st to be exact," a source would tell Rich Mazon of Philboxing.com, which suggests that perhaps Pacquiao has instructed Koncz to secure the services of Cotto in order to get him the guaranteed purse he's grown accustomed to. The only problem with that directive is that Cotto has no plans of facing Pacquiao at his desired 150-pound catchweight. In fact, Cotto is reportedly already working closely with Golden Boy Promotions on his own December 1st return to the ring at Madison Square Garden.
With Pacquiao essentially holding out for a potential clash with Cotto that likely won't happen, that puts Arum in a bind. He must either 1) convince Pacquiao to fight Bradley or Marquez for a lower purse or 2) figure out a way to get Pacquiao the guarantee he's looking for. No matter how you slice it, it looks like both sides need more time to come to an agreement, which means the November 10th fight will probably be pushed back to give them more time to satisfy all parties involved.
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