BOBBY PACQUIAO FIGHTS TODAY VS HUMBERTO SOTO
Result to Determine Manny's Next Opponnent
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 10 Jun 2007
BobPac (R) and Soto at LA presscon.
Bobby Pacquiao, who had been lurking in the shadows of his more illustrious brother Manny, will fight today in New York against Mexican Humberto Soto who is apparently groomed by Bob Arum to be Manny Pacquiao's next opponent.
Bobby Pacquiao (27-12-3 12KOs) was coming off a loss against Hector Velazquez last November and had been given little chance by experts to beat Soto (41-5-2 25KOs). Soto, who is a relatively unknown fighter to the mainstream boxing fans, has been touted as Mexico's best kept secret. Soto had not lost a fight in the last 5 years compiling an 18-0 record with 13 stoppages and 1 no contest in that time span.
Experts said that Soto, who is promoted by Bob Arum, is one boxer who could give superstar Manny Pacquiao a run for his money and a fight with Soto for Pacquiao is more risky than a fight with Marquez, Barrera, Guzman and Valero.
If Soto wins today against Bobby, he would most likely secure a date with the Filipino firebrand on October 6 in Vancouver as Top Rank is hard-pressed to find a suitable opponent for Manny because of its ongoing legal battle with Golden Boy Promotions.
Golden Boy holds under contract the big names of the division -- Marquez, Barrera and Guzman -- that will make multi-million dollar megafights against Pacquiao. Until Top Rank and Golden Boy settle their differences, a Pacquiao fight against these names will always be difficult to make.
Thus a Manny Pacquiao-Humberto Soto duel will most likely take place next -- that is if everything happens according to the script.
But enter Bobby Pacquiao. If the Soto factor was a big question mark in Pacquiao's next fight, predicting the result of a Bobby Pacquiao fight is a double big question mark. Ever since Bobby barged into the U.S. boxing scene two years ago, boxing fans were confounded again and again by Bobby's big wins against opponents he had been given little chance to pull an upset off.
Bobby's last victim was the comebacking former world champion Kevin Kelly who incidentally was the fighter who last beat Humberto Soto five years ago. Bobby knocked out Kelly in the 4th round at the Madison Square Garden in New York last year, the very same venue where he battles Soto today.
So if you'd like to predict the outcome of today's fight -- and if effect Manny Pacquiao's next opponent -- your guess is as good as mine.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
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