Pacquiao: My job is to train hard, not to choose my foes
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 24 Mar 2008
CHICAGO ? Egged to comment if he still wants a third match with conquered world champion Juan Manuel Marquez, World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao meekly said: ?My job is to train hard and not to choose my opponents.?
Pacquiao, 29, said he will leave the matter of choosing his next foe to his promoter?Top Rank headed by Bob Arum. ?I will just train hard and fight,? declared Paquiao shortly after departing for Manila in a PAL flight that left Los Angeles at 10 p.m. last March 22 (Los Angeles time).
Without batting an eyelash, Arum said Pacquiao deserves a paycheck of at least US$6 to $8 million excluding his share in the pay-per-view of HBO.
But Pacquiao, who has been penciled to face WBC lightweight boss David Diaz on June 28 in Las Vegas, said he can not discount the possibility of a third showdown with Marquez, 34, who claimed he was robbed of victory in losing to Pacquiao by split decision last March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The newly crowned world champion from General Santos City, Philippines, however, is more inclined to go up to 135 lbs and shoot for the WBC baubles of Diaz rather than stay put in the superfeatherweight division.
?Manny actually did not find it hard to tip the scale in the 130 pounds because in his fight with Marquez, he easily tipped the scale at 129 pounds. This means that everything is not yet final in as far as the next fight of Manny Pacquiao is concerned,? said promoter and Pacquiao associate Rex ?Wakee? Salud, who joined Team Pacquiao in a PAL flight to Manila last March 22 evening.
Pacquiao said he will rest for a while and go back to the gym in the second week of April for his preparations either against Diaz or Marquez. He promised to train hard for at least three months before fighting again on June 28.
There is also a possibility that the June 28 scheduled world title fight against either Marquez or Diaz will be moved to July or August depending on the advice of his doctors who helped stitched the cut on his right eye he suffered in his shootout with Marquez for the Mexican?s WBC superfeatherweight belt last March 15.
?The doctors will see to it that Manny?s wound will be totally healed before he goes up the ring again,? said Games and Amusement Board (GAB) boxing chief Nasser Cruz who is himself a ring physician.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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