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Source: abs-cbnnews.com

-- After defeating Puerto Rican boxing champ Miguel Cotto, the possibility of a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight now seems like a near certainty, according to Pacquiao's coach Freddie Roach.

In an interview with 8countnews, Roach said negotiations between Mayweather's camp and Pacquiao's promoter Top Rank will start this week for a possible prize fight next year.

"I think it will get done, I mean where is Mayweather going to go? What's he going to do, fight the winner of [Andre] Berto vs Shane Mosley? He doesn't want that either, he wants to make money also, and so does Manny Pacquiao. We will offer him a 60/40 split," he said in the post-Pacquiao-Cotto fight interview.

Roach said a fight between the two pound-for-pound kings would be one for the ages since both fighters bring blinding handspeed to their fights. He added, however, that the Pacman is a much stronger puncher than "Money" Mayweather.

"Well we're not worried about his punching power, because he doesn't have any. But he is fast, but we are fast enough to deal with that. We have better foot work, and he doesn't like to engage too much. We will break him down like we did Cotto. He poses more of a problem with his speed. If he lays on the ropes and rolls his shoulder, and all of that b.s., we will eat him up," he said.

Pacquiao dominated and defeated a much bigger Cotto by technical knockout enroute to winning a seventh world title in seven weight classes at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (Sunday in the Philippines). He is the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions after referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight in the 12th round.

Roach, meanwhile, admitted that they were surprised by Cotto's speed and that Pacquiao was caught flatfooted several times. He added, however, that Pacquiao's speed and power were too much for the welterweight champ.

"By the 9th round Cotto was in survival mode, but when a fighter runs a corner and the camp that's a problem. I thought the corner should have stopped the fight. They shouldn't have let him take that beating," he said.

In a separate interview, boxing analyst Ed Tolentino, Mayweather may be the only hurdle Pacquiao would need to overcome to further validate his status as among history’s best boxers.

“The ultimate of course is Floyd Mayweather Jr. “ said Tolentino. “No matter how arrogant he is, no matter how cocky he is, he is arrogantly unbeaten. and we can't take that away from him.”

Mayweather, also known as “Pretty Boy Floyd”, is the former top pound-for-pound (P4P) boxer in the world, having been unbeaten in 40 fights. He also won 6 world titles in 5 different weight classes.

Pacquiao succeeded Mayweather as the top P4P when the latter went into an early retirement. After a year, Mayweather “unretired” to outclass Pacquiao's former nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez.

Tolentino said the Pacquiao-Mayweather bout can easily become the biggest moneyed fight in recent boxing history.

“He returned because he wants Manny Pacquiao. We're talking here of Fort Knox like money… big money. This is one reason why the fight will happen, plus of course, the boxing universe will demand this fight,” he said.

However, there are things that have to be settled before a Pacquiao-Mayweather can be arranged.

Aside from the weight, both fighters will still have to agree about how to split the purse.

Tolentino believes a Pacquiao-Mayweather match will save the sport.

“[This is a] fight that is good for boxing, that will restore attention to boxing. Even [boxing great] Sugar Ray Leonard is saying that he wants this fight to happen, boxing needs this fight to happen,” he said.

Pundits say Pacquiao 'scary good'

Post-fight commentary on the Pacquiao-Cotto, meanwhile, continued to praise the Pride of the Philippines for standing toe-to-toe with Cotto, who is considered one of the best welterweight punchers in the division.

Writer Christopher Falvello in the Bleacher Report noted that Pacquiao "isn't just good. He's scary good."

"He possess the kind of talent that sends chills down your spine," he said.

Steve Bunce of the British paper The Independent described Pacquiao as a "vicious little fighter" who rained 12 rounds of punishment against the Puerto Rican. "It was gruesome to watch in the end as Manny Pacquiao's punches distorted Miguel Angel Cotto's bloody and bloated face for far too long on Saturday night in the MGM ring, Las Vegas," he said.

"The endgame was a savage reminder of just how brutal boxing can be, and also a gentle reminder that behind Pacquiao's expert soundbites, smiles and political ambitions he is a vicious little fighter."

Blogger Robert Przybylo, meanwhile, praised Pacquiao for taking on some of Cotto's best punches during the fight. "Not only does Pacquiao have speed and power, he’s got some stones, too. He covered up and let Cotto take the best whacks he could at him. Nothing. Free shots, and Miguel couldn’t mount anything," he wrote.

Rea Frey of fighthype.com also, credited Pacquiao for having a "ridiculous chin" after absorbing some swift uppercuts from Cotto.

"He can take punches from a legitimate welterweight, one who has only one questionable loss to his resume. [Pacquiao' can trade, he can punish and he can most certainly prepare himself for the megafight that inevitably lies ahead," Frey wrote.

Perhaps the best commentary about Pacquiao came from his opponent, Cotto. ""I didn't know from where the punches were coming," Cotto said in a post-fight interview.