Pacquiao the best I've seen, says promoter Arum

Boxing promoter Bob Arum has worked with Muhammad Ali, "Sugar" Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler but he believes Filipino Manny Pacquiao is the best he has seen.

Pacquiao stopped Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of their title fight in Las Vegas last weekend to become WBO welterweight champion and win a seventh world title in an unprecedented seventh weight class.

"I've promoted Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter I have ever seen," Arum said.

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach endorsed Arum's statement.

"Compared to all those names, he's as good as any of them," Roach said. "He's the greatest fighter of his era, for sure. 100 per cent."

The fighter himself, however, was reluctant to make comparisons.

"I don't want to compare my achievement to any fighter," said Pacquiao, 50-3-2 (38 KOs).

"I'm just doing my job, to give a good fight. My goal is to give happiness and enjoyment to the people who are always watching us."

Cotto began the contest strongly behind a stiff left jab, but his opponent found his range in the second round and scored knockdowns in the third and fourth.

In the second half of the bout, the Puerto Rican champion, bloodied and bruised, mostly circled and retreated hoping to survive until the final bell.

But a Pacquiao barrage prom-pted referee Kenny Bayless to halt the fight after 55 seconds of the 12th round.

"Miguel Cotto has always been a courageous fighter," said Arum. "He was just in with a guy who showed me ... that he is certainly the best fighter of this era and maybe of all time."

Mayweather fight

Pacquiao hopes his stunning victory over Cotto will put him in line for a mega welterweight showdown against Floyd Mayweather in 2010.

Under siege from mixed martial arts, boxing has seen its fan base shrink in the past few years. With his stunning demolition of his last three opponents, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and now Cotto, Pacquiao has become the face of the sport even making the front page of the Asian edition of Time magazine this month.

What better way to showcase the sport's newest poster boy than to have a pound-for-pound showdown between Pacquiao and American Mayweather.

"That is the fight the whole world wants to see," said Roach.

Asked after the Cotto fight if he wanted Mayweather next, Pacquiao said, "My job is to fight and it depends on promoter Bob Arum to negotiate that."

Pacquiao said last week he doesn't think Mayweather will step up to the plate and called him a boring boxer.

"Boxing for him is like a business. He doesn't care about people around him watching. He doesn't care if the fight is boring as long as the fight is finished and he gets his money," Pacquiao said.

Roach said even if Mayweather agrees to a deal, the fight won't take place at any cost.

"If Floyd wants a 65-35 (purse) split then he is not going to get it," Roach said.