PACQUIAO OPPONENT TO BE CHOSEN BY MID NOVEMBER
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 10 Oct 2007
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says just about everybody wants to fight Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao but a decision will only be made sometime in mid November, possibly after November 17. By that date Pacquiao would know the winners of the November 3 title defense of WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez against Rocky Juarez and the November 17 battle between WBO 130 pound title holder Joan Guzman and Humberto Soto.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today from New York, Arum said ?we are going to be making a decision around there, who he will fight.? The decision would possibly be made when Pacquiao visits New York for the battle between Miguel Cotto and Sugar Shane Mosley at Madison Square Garden on November 10.
Arum disclosed he would be meeting with the HBO people and said ?we are going to get a date for him (Pacquiao) in early March.? He said we are ?looking at the winner of the Marquez-Juarez fight, we are looking at the winner of the Soto-Guzman fight and maybe if he wants to go up in weight to 135 pounds since he had a little difficulty in making the weight and looked very drawn,? it wouldn't be a problem.
Arum said Roach may want Pacquiao to go up to 135 pounds in which case one of the ?possible opponents would be David Diaz for the WBC lightweight title.? Diaz is the fighter who scored a thrilling but close unanimous decision over Erik ?El Terrible? Morales last August 4.
The Top Rank promoter said there was ?no problem getting anybody? because Golden Boy has Marquez and Juarez and we (Top Rank) have Soto and Diaz. Arum said there ?is a possibility that the fight may go to Macau? but right now if it stays in North America it would probably go back to Las Vegas because they had a ?very good result? in the last fight between Pacquiao and Barrera. Arum indicated possible sites are the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino, where the rematch with Barrera was held, or the MGM Grand.
Arum was very pleased with the showing of Pacquiao pointing out that he is becoming ?a very complete fighter and Freddie (Roach) is doing a terrific job with him.? The astute boxing promoter and esteemed lawyer said ?by the time Freddie finishes with him Manny will be as good a boxer as he is a slugger. You know, nobody can match him for speed, and speed kills.?
Taking note of those who appeared disappointed that Pacquiao didn?t score a knockout, Arum said ?if Barrera engaged more in the last couple of rounds, Manny would have knocked him out. But he (Pacquiao) fought a very intelligent fight and I don?t care what this one judge saw (Tom Scherack who scored it 115-112 for Pacquiao), I clearly gave Manny ten out of the twelve rounds.?
Arum also gave Barrera credit saying he was ?one of the greatest fighters of our era, extremely intelligent, very courageous and everybody was very emotional at the press conference.? He said Pacquiao ?spoke beautifully about Barrera? who has been one of the true legends of this era as well as Erik Morales and ?Manny has beaten them all.?
The Pacquiao promoter whose team-up with Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions after a bitter legal dispute over the promotional rights to Pacquiao has ensured some great fights can now take place and predicted it would be ?upwards and upwards and we hope Manny will be more active next year." He said they are are "looking to fight him at least three times and he wants to fight three times? maybe March, July and November.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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