The injury sustained by Floyd Mayweather Jr. has made it more possible for Manny Pacquiao to favor a clash with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, according to ESPN sports analyst Dan Rafael.

Rafael said Mayweather’s training injury has pushed away the possibility of a fight with Pacquiao before year end.

“Floyd Mayweather Jr., who would have presented the biggest money for Manny Pacquiao came up with an injury and forced a postponement of his July fight with Marquez, pushing away the possibility of a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight in the fall,” Rafael said in a video interview on ESPN.

Rafael thinks that Cotto could be the next biggest fight for Pacquiao, who is coming off a spectacular second-round knock-out victory over Ricky Hatton.

“It’s an easy fight to make because they're in the same promotional company,” he said.

Rafael also said Pacquiao thinks he can handle the Puerto Rican champion, who had a hard time beating Joshua Clottey.

“[Top Rank promoter Bob] Arum said to me after the [Cotto] fight that Pacquiao thought Cotto is vulnerable and that he was interested in that fight,” said Rafael.

The Pacquiao-Cotto fight was tentatively set on November 14 to give the Puerto Rican some time to heal the cut he sustained during his fight with Clottey.

Boxing fans have been raving a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight since the former pound-for-pound king came out of retirement.

Mayweather, however, sustained a rib injury while sparring in preparation for his fight with bitter Pacquiao foe Juan Manuel Marquez.