PACQUIAO-VALERO MAY TAKE PLACE IN MACAU
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 10 May 2007
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said Thursday that a fight between Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and undefeated KO artist Edwin Valero of Venezuela “will be absolutely huge in Macau when we finally have the new arena set up and running in September.”
Arum was responding to a Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today banner story in which well-known South African promoter Branco Milenkovic said he had been told by Akihiko Honda who handles Valero that the fighter who now lives and fights in Japan would face Pacquiao sometime later this year.
Arum disclosed that the Venetian in Macau had completed a new arena that will seat 17,000 people and it would be an ideal site for a Pacquiao-Valero showdown since Valero cant fight in the US unless he gets a medical clearance following a motorcycle accident years ago.
The Top Rank promoter who arrived in Manila early Thursday morning for a quick visit to General Santos City to give Pacquiao “moral support” in his bid for a seat in the house of representatives said Pacquiao is “obviously concentrating on the elections” and it all depends on when he will fight next – September, October or November. Arum said “I haven’t talked to him about it” even as he is expected to do so within the next three days.
Arum said a battle between Pacquiao and Valero who has a record of 22 wins, all of them by knockout with no defeats, would be “the most unbelievable fight with two tremendous punchers.” He also pointed out that the influential businessman-sportsman Honda was “a really good friend and we do tremendous business with him” strengthening the possibility of the fight pushing through.
Arum said there were several other “interesting and serious fights” including a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera who he claims wants to fight Pacquiao and is reportedly a free agent. He said a Barrera rematch is “still a very attractive fight.” Arum also disclosed having met with the Joan Guzman people who want a fight with Pacquiao which Arum indicated was “a possibility.” However, even as Arum was speaking Guzman’s WBO lightweight championship clash with Michael Katsidis scheduled for May 26 was cancelled after Guzman suffered a broken bone in his hand according to an HBO email to Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today.
The name of Humberto Soto who fights Pacquiao’s younger brother Bobby on June 9 at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden was also mentioned by Arum who handles him. He said that since Soto won a WBC super featherweight eliminator and he considers him the mandatory challenger to Juan Manuel Marquez he wants to put Soto in with Marquez should be beat Bobby Pacquiao and whoever wins that fight emerge as a future opponent for Manny Pacquiao.
Arum stressed that his job in looking at possible fights for Pacquiao was to "maximize the most money for Manny from these fights and that is a function of how big the fight is .."how much money the opponent wants to take out and what's left for Manny. " Arum revealed that in the April 14 bout against Jorge Solis, the Mexican's purse was under $200,000 and "that left a lot of room for Manny and Manny made twice as much as Barrera and Marquez combined from their fight."
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