Aspiring rabbi eyed as Pacquiao's next rival

An Israeli champion, WBA super welterweight supremo Yuri Foreman, might be Manny Pacquiao’s next rival, not welterweight superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. According to trainer Freddie Roach, Team Pacquiao is looking at the possibility of a March 2010 showdown with Foreman, an aspiring rabbi who snagged the 154-lb strap with a unanimous decision over Daniel Santos in the undercard of Pacquiao’s blockbuster fight with Miguel Cotto. The prospective gig with Foreman could very well be Pacquiao’s crack at an unprecedented eighth division crown and an appetizer to the much-anticipated Pacquiao-Mayweather Jr. Mayweather Jr. setto, which Roach revealed, might be slated in September.

“We (Team Pacquiao) want to fight in March and we don't really want to wait. Mayweather doesn't want to fight in March, so we might fight for the 154-lb crown in March and move up for that eighth world title," Roach was quoted by British site Sky Sports. The idea to have Pacquiao climb the ring by March is largely due to his political activities. The boxing champ will run for congressman in Sarangani in the May 2010 polls and would be busy campaigning by late March. And if Mayweather isn’t available for a March shindig yet, Roach said the New York-based Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs) presents the best option for the 30-year-old Pacquiao. "Yuri Foreman might be the opponent. It is a possibility, and then Mayweather in September. If they guarantee me that, we'll do that, but I need more of a commitment from Mayweather because he's not negotiating too well," he told the British press. "It (Pacquiao-Mayweather) has to happen, and with the money they are going to make out of it, I feel it will happen. Mayweather can't make that money with anybody else," Roach added. Pacquiao, who filed his certificate of candidacy before the Commission on Election (Comelec) in Sarangani Tuesday night, has said he will leave it up to his promoters to negotiate for his next bout. His promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, have already formally started negotiations for the Pacquiao-Mayweather duel but have decided to keep details confidential. Observers foresee problems in terms of purse share and weight in the big-moneyed bout between boxing's biggest draws and top pound-for-pound fighters. – GMANews.TV