By Josh Slagter | The Grand Rapids Press
May 11, 2010, 9:00PM
With a Congressional win under Manny Pacquiao's belt in the Philippines, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum already has Pacquiao's next move planned: a Nov. 13 fight in either Dallas or Las Vegas.
Arum told BoxingScene.com's Ronnie Nathanielsz that he's already reserved Cowboys Stadium and MGM Grand and doesn't think Pacquiao's newly elected position will adversely affect his fighting career.
"The cable systems and the satellite providers have put the date (Nov. 13) aside for us, so the table is set," Arum said. Manny can get sworn in at the end of June, then attend the sessions of congress in July and -- as long as he keeps in shape -- then he has plenty of time to train for the fight.
"I always knew he was going to fight and I'm off back to the States and I'm going to be working very, very hard to make the (Floyd) Mayweather Jr. fight because that's the fight everybody wants to see."
Mayweather is coming off a 12-round decision victory over Shane Mosley on May 1, a bout that attracted 1.4 million pay-per-view buys.
Negotiations between Pacquiao and Mayweather previously failed because of the Grand Rapids native's insistence on random urine and blood testing and the Filipino star's refusal to adhere to such demands.
If Mayweather-Pacquiao can't be made again -- and there's no early indication either side will be willing to budge -- Arum said he has other options.
"If we can't make that, then there are other fights, like (Antonio) Margarito and the winner of Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman, but absolutely everybody wants to see the Mayweather fight, the congressman wants the Mayweather fight and we are going to get it for him."
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