PACQUIAO EYES 5TH WORLD CROWN VS HATTON IN 2009
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Jul 2008
NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico ? Now that World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao?s first title defense of the crown he wrested from David Diaz is reportedly a ?done deal? on November 8, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has revealed Pacquiao might next face International Boxing Organization (IBO) light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton next year.
?Pacquiao can?t face Ricky Hatton next because he has a scheduled fight against Paul Malignaggi this year,? said the 76-year-old Arum.
It was reported earlier that International Boxing Federation (IBF) light welterweight champion Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KOs) may be offered a step aside fee to forgo his showdown with Hatton (44-1, 31 KOs) who recently won the IBO crown with a 12-round unanimous decision win over Juan Lazcano in Manchester, United Kingdom.
If Pacquiao will put away Valero (24-0, 24 KOs), he will be aiming for his unprecedented fifth world crown in five different weight categories against Hatton, 29, who is orthodox and one inch taller than the Filipino ringster.
However, Pacquiao might stick with the WBC and opt to face WBC light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (22-0, 11 KOs) after beating Valero.
Bradley, 24, is also currently in the radar of Top Rank being an American and ?attractive? title holder of a WBC belt.
Arum has indicated he will sign up Pacquiao against a light welterweight champion only after he has defended the 135-lb title he wrested with a spectacular 9th round one-punch knockout of David Diaz on June 28 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao is expected to be back in Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles first week of September for his showdown with the Venezuelan KO artist either in Las Vegas, San Antonio, Texas; or Houston, Texas.
Valero, who mostly fought in Japan in recent years, has been given the green signal by Texas to fight while other states continued to ban him after he failed in the medical examination in New York.
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