ALWAYS an innovator, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is now looking at getting the big fights on free television and is considering the May 2 mega-buck fight between Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao and Britain?s Ricky Hatton for starters.

Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times mentioned what Arum told Standard Today before that he was considering Showtime not just for the Pacquiao-Hatton bout, but even for the championship double-header at the Araneta Coliseum on March 15.

The Big Dome card is headlined by the World Boxing Organization super flyweight title fight between Nonito Donaire and champion Fernando Montiel of Mexico.

Arum told Pugmire that he would talk to the Showtime people in New York next week.

?For boxing to prosper, it has to be on free network TV,? said Arum.

The Top Rank promoter maintained that because of its relationship with Showtime, CBS ?is best positioned to be the network that does this. CBS president Les Moonves is a huge fight fan.?

Under the Arum plan, sponsors would be enticed to buy the network?s advertising time and he is interested in Showtime distributing the Pacquiao-Hatton fight on pay-per-view, with CBS also telecasting a pre-fight show similar to what HBO has been doing with its 24/7 countdown series.

Meantime, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has started off the pre-fight rhetoric by insisting that Hatton will beat Pacquiao and take over as pound-for-pound king after their May 2 showdown in Las Vegas.

The actual venue of the fight will be finally decided upon in a meeting between Arum, Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer and representatives of the Las Vegas hotels interested in landing the fight on Wednesday.

The talkative trainer, who did a fine job in preparing Hatton for his overwhelming victory against Paul Malignaggi, said he believes the Briton can stop Pacquiao.

?The best man will win on the night, but it?s my man who is going to be the best. Pacquiao is not going to be the best fighter that night,? the British newspaper The Sun quoted Mayweather as saying. ?I can?t take that speed away from Pacquiao, but if there?s one thing that Ricky will take away from him, it will be his jab.?

The trainer maintained that Hatton was stronger than Pacquiao. ?We have a whole lot of strategy.?

Arum said he welcomed Mayweather?s talking because it helps hype a great fight and adds to the sale of tickets just as he looked forward to the time when Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach starts talking because the Mayweather-Roach verbal tussles will provide a great sideshow to the fight itself. Ronnie Nathanielsz