By Rey Danseco
MANNY Pacquiao confirmed that he will take sides with Bob Arum and calls out Marco Antonio Barrera to honor his mandatory status with the World Boxing Council (WBC), and fight him with the super featherweight title on the line.
In a press conference at the Manila Hotel yesterday, Pacquiao insisted his desire to give Barrera a chance to redeem himself after giving him a bad beating that resulted in a devastating 11th round technical knockout in November 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.
Arum made clear that if the aging Mexican champion refuses to fight the hard-hitting Filipino superstar, Pacquiao will takes on another opponent in Macau on April 28.
Pacquiao’s announcement has ended the speculation on which promoter he takes sides, and leaving Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions on the brink.
De La Hoya has an existing lawsuit in Los Angeles Court where he’s asking to prevent Arum from staging Pacquiao’s next fight. The Los Angeles boxer-promoter insisted he has legitimate seven-fight promotional deal with Pacquiao.
Arum also claimed that Pacquiao signed a four-year deal under his Las Vegas-based outfit after his second demolition of Barrera’s compatriot, Erik Morales last month.
The No. 1 contender Pacquiao had acquired the right to face Barrera after beating second ranked Morales because the Mexico-based WBC sanctioned the scheduled 12-round round bout as final eliminator where the winner has the right for the mandatory title shot early next year.
Barrera, who is under the banner of Golden Boy Promotions, is inclined to face fellow Mexican, WBO interim featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez on March 17 after WBC president Jose Sulaiman announced on December 22 that the “free negotiation period” and the purse offer scheduled on January 12, 2007 will not push through because of Pacquiao’s involvement in the litigation between Arum and De La Hoya.
After Sulaiman took a confirmation from this writer that Pacquiao is willing to fight Barrera again, he immediately ordered Pacquiao and Barrera to negotiate for their return bout in a letter number 39,721 dated December 11.
The two letters were sent to both superstar featherweights and copies furnished to WBC Board of Governors, North American Boxing Federation, Oriental & Pacific Boxing Federation, and Games and Amusement Board.
