Manny Pacquiao didn’t really want to talk about it after he knocked out Miguel Cotto on Saturday night in Las Vegas, saying only that he wanted to take some time off and enjoy his family. He’d leave his future to promoter Bob Arum.

However, everyone else even remotely interested in boxing is saying it for him: They want to see Pacquiao fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in what could turn to be the biggest fight in history.

Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Mayweather, said he has begun working on the fight but prefers to speak in generalities at the moment.

“It could definitely break any and all records,” said Schaefer, referring primarily to the 2.45 million pay-per-view buys Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya did. “The reason I’m saying that is I’ve never seen this type of anticipation for a fight from the general public, not just boxing fans or sports fans.

“The world is talking about this fight. Everyone wants to see it. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The reasons for that are obvious. Pacquiao is on a run like no other in recent years, as he has knocked off one big-name opponent after another and drawn comparisons to the greatest fighters of all time.

No athlete in the world, regardless of sport, is any hotter than the Filipino marvel at the moment.

Meanwhile, the supremely gifted Mayweather, undefeated and back from a hiatus, is considered by many to be even better than Pacquiao and is the biggest attraction in the United States.

Thus, the anticipation is easy to understand –- the two best boxers on the planet fighting for supremacy, at their peaks, in a pick-‘em fight, with a great melodramatic storyline -- good (the humble Pacquaio) vs. evil (the brash Mayweather).

Schaefer’s job is to hype the fight but no one would dare suggest that he’s wrong in this case. The fight would be enormous.

“You have No. 1 and No. 1A,” Schaefer said. “Even in other sports, how often do you see that? It would be something like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan going at it at the top of their games. You just don’t see that.

“It’s rare that you see two true stars, the two most-gifted athletes at the top of their games going head to head.”

Assuming Pacquiao and Mayweather want to fight each other, the next question is: Can it be made?

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, who could not be reached Monday, has said he doesn’t believe the two sides would be able to reach a deal.

“I don’t think (Pacquiao-Mayweather) will happen within the next year because of all of Mayweather’s posturing, the trash talk. That impedes any realistic negotiations. It would just be too difficult,” he told RingTV.com last month.

Negotiations undoubtedly would be contentious, the problem being that both sides –- each claiming it has a bigger fan base –- will demand the lion’s share of the profits.

However, the profits, however they’re divided, will be too big to pass up. The fight probably would generate at least 2 million pay-per-view buys in the U.S. and Canada. At $55, that’s $110,000,000 before television distributors and others take their share.

The fighters could both walk away with $30 million, $40 million or more.

“Hopefully it will get done,” Schaefer said. “Bob Arum and I have a good track record working together. We’ve done well getting big fights done. Pacquiao has said that Floyd doesn’t want to fight him. And Freddie (Roach) has been outspoken. There’s one thing I know: Floyd Mayweather has never backed down from a challenge.

“I’m sure he’s thinking about his next steps. When the time is right, I’m sure he’s going to give me my marching orders.”

Mayweather once before took a significant risk because of the money he knew he would make, which is the De La Hoya fight. Even if he is reluctant to fight Pacquiao -– and I’m not saying he is -– the money is a powerful incentive.

Expect the fight to be made.


Michael Rosenthal can be reached at RingTVeditor@yahoo.com