By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Fahsan 3K Battery, the Thai "Destroyer of Filipinos" has vowed to kick up a storm and flatten Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao when they clash in the main event of a fight card titled "Yanig sa Taguig" sponsored by Smart, Talk N' Text and Solar Sports on December 11 at The Fort. Fahsan made the prediction after the IBF moved him to the No. 6 slot in the featherweight division and promised that the winner of next week's showdown would be rated No. 2 behind champion Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao himself is currently ranked No. 3 by the IBF while Fahsan was formerly ranked No. 4 in the super bantamweight division.
Even as a super typhoon raced across the country bringing more death and destruction, Fahsan's manager Jimmy Chaichotchuang warned that the damage his fighter will cause would be even worse. Chaichotchaung told Viva Sports/Manila Standard that Fahsan will finish 90 rounds of sparring against WBO International featherweight champion Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym and another Muay Thai champion by Sunday before leaving for Manila the following afternoon.
Fahsan, speaking through his manager predicted that "if Pacquiao is not in good condition by not training well, I will knock him out. But if Pacquiao is in good conndition, it will be a very close fight." Reacting to the statements of Fahsan and his manager, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach told Viva Sports/Manila Standard in a long distance conversation from the Almendras Gym in Davao City that "I hope Fahsan brings his best because we are definitely one hundred percent in shape. Manny will be there for sure."
Roach said Pacquiao has a grueling 36 minute uphill run early yesterday morning and looked "sharper than ever" in the gym in the afternoon. Pacquiao, Roach and the other members of the team in Davao were scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Mayor Rodrigo Duterte after the workout. Roach said Pacquiao would spar 10 rounds today with lightweight champion Fernando Montilla, junioe welterweight Chris Saluday and Arnel Porras and would also have a light sparring session at the Wild Card Gym in BF Homes, Paranaque on Monday.
International promoter Murad Muhammad who arrived from Los Angeles on a Philippine Airlines flight early yesterday told Viva Sports/Manila Standard that the offer of Golden Boy for Pacquiao to fight WBC super bantamweight champion Oscar Larios before a rematch with Barrera in September was "an insult." Murad said "we are not going to take an interim fight against Larios, that's for sure." Murad said Barrera has continued to offer excuses for his devastating eleventh round battering at the hands of Pacquiao in San Antonio, Texas on November15 last year but never called out Pacquiao's name even after his big win over Erik Morales. Murad said "the phone call from Richard Schaeffer (president of Golden Boy Promotions) told me they are not interested in fighting Pacquiao."
The well-known international promoter said "there is a little fight going on between Golden Boy and Bob Arum of Top Rank and we don't want to get in between that" adding that HBO had advised him to stay out of it. Given the situation Murad said working on a deal with Golden Boy would surely create trouble pointing out that "we made a deal with HBO and we'll live up to it" warning that "if you pull out of fights of HBO without their blessings you've ruined your career for the rest of your life."
