• Manny Pacquiao v Floyd Mayweather Jnr

Cotto threatens to put the brakes on Floyd v Pac-Man

Miguel Cotto is a man in demand after he gained revenge for his 2008 defeat by Antonio Margarito by beating the Mexican to retain his WBA light-middleweight title last month © PA Photos

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Manny Pacquiao's proposed clash with Floyd Mayweather Jnr looks dead and buried, at least for the moment, after Miguel Cotto moved into pole position to take on one of the pound-for-pound rivals.

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach remains confident his charge will pit his skills against the unbeaten Mayweather Jnr, but the question remains when? May 5th has been earmarked for the bout but Pacquiao's camp want longer to promote the super-fight and more preparation time in the gym.

With a Pacquiao-Mayweather Jnr contest still some way short of being agreed, WBA light-middleweight champion Cotto has begun holding talks with both camps over possible match-ups.

Pacquiao stopped the Puerto Rican in 2009, with the fight held at a catch-weight of 145lbs. However, with Cotto now fighting at 154lbs, Pacquiao insists he will not fight above 147lbs - the welterweight limit.

Cotto and his advisor Gabriel Penagaricano have held talks with Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum - Pacquiao's promoter - but the main obstacle remains the weight.

"It was a good meeting. We have a number of points that we need to disucss again and also we have to convince Manny to join the idea. The fight between Pacquiao and Cotto is what we need to see. There is still enough time to resolve the issues, so we'll talk again," Arum told boxingscene.com.

Cotto has not fought Mayweather Jnr, and should the two of them sign for a fight, the issue of weight would not be a stumbling block.

"The weight was one of the issues discussed," said Penagaricano. "Both fighters are at different weights and they are separated by a few pounds. We are not pessimistic and we will continue talking. [The Mayweather Jnr] fight is entirely feasible. We have also had several conversations with Myaweather's representatives and that is being evaluated. In that case there would be no weight issues."

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