Pacquiao vs. Valero

Date: 2008-07-05 10:04:10
Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT20080319119803.html...
Submitted By: Boxing Dump

A shaggy-haired Venezuelan was at ringside when Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez brawled their way to another exciting 12-rounder at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas over the weekend.

He was wondering when his chance for a mega-buck fight will come.

Edwin Valero, the reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight champion, is among those hoping to fight Pacquiao and a crack at stardom.

With a boxing record that is worth looking into (23 fights, all knockout wins), Valero is among a few names being bandied around as a possible Pacquiao foe.

But his chances of being in the short list are slowly diminishing as Pacquiao’s camp has already lined up a busy schedule for 2008. His consolation is that even Marquez, who is demanding a rematch, is at present at the bottom of that list.

But Valero has not given up. A squabble between promoters Golden Boy and Top Rank on who Pacquiao’s next foe might find him as an enviable alternate. But that’s a long shot, too.

Top Rank chief Bob Arum says that Pacquiao’s next fight will be against David Diaz, the current lightweight titleholder of the World Boxing Council (WBC), on June 28 also at Mandalay Bay.

But GBP insists that owing the controversial nature of the decision of the recent fight, not mention its immense box-office appeal, the logical thing is to pair Pacquiao and Marquez immediately.

Arum is not buying that idea and wants Pacquiao to face somebody else.

Arum has the upper hand in this matter. In the contract signed by the parties, Pacquiao was not bound to give Marquez a rematch while the Filipino gets a rematch had he lost.

Besides, Arum contended that Pacquiao and Marquez needed some air after the punishment both got from each other.

Arum also has a selfish motive for not having a Pacquiao-Marquez fight so soon.

Since Pacquiao is one of the biggest names in boxing right now, Arum wants to stage Pacquiao’s next fight all by himself, meaning GBP will not have any participation in the promotion, unlike in the recent fight when the two companies had to co-promote as ordered by the courts.

Since Diaz is also under contract with Top Rank, Arum will call the shots in promoting the Pacquiao-Diaz showdown and this would enable his company not only to rake in all the profit without having to share it with a partner like GBP.

But the problem lies in the fact that Diaz hardly made waves in beating Pacquiao sparring partner Ramon Montano in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Marquez headliner.

While it is true that Montano ached from head to foot after the ten-rounder, Diaz did not give a performance that could compel fight fans to believe that he can do what Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera could not.

On the other hand, the mere thought of Pacquiao clashing with Marquez again sends adrenaline rushing.

And since Pacquiao is sporting a bad cut, it may take some time before a new foe is named and the penciled June 28 fight might be moved to a later date to allow Pacquiao to wait for his wound to heal.

Now comes Valero, an unbeaten southpaw like Pacquiao who parades a 23-0 win-loss card with all 23 wins by knockout, including 19 in the very first round.

In the last two Pacquiao fights, Valero has made his presence felt by seating at ringside, thus attracting attention from fight fans. When Pacquiao fought Barrera last October, Valero was at ringside with his Japanese benefactor Akihiko Honda and at Mandalay Bay for the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch.

Valero said he has what it takes to take care of Pacquiao.