By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao says he prefers to fight reigning WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch rather than take on undefeated KO specialist Edwin Valera of Venezuela or WBO featherweight champion Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic.
Barrera is handled by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and they have a date in March set aside for Barrera’s possible rematch with Pacquiao although a bitter contractual dispute in court may delay the staging of the fight.
Bob Arum who claims he has a four year contract for Pacquiao to fight under the Top Rank banner has spoken of a possible fight against Valero who has a record of 20 KO’s in 20 wins with 18 coming in the first round in Macau in March or April while Golden Boy Promotions who signed a seven fight deal with Pacquiao in mid-September was set to stage the Barrera rematch in March.
Pacquiao told a news conference at Manila City Hall shortly after his arrival from Los Angeles he preferred to fight Barrera because "some say that my victory over him was a fluke." Pacquiao also indicated that Barrera refused to admit that Pacquiao beat him and claimed he had many distractions that caused his defeat.
Pacquiao demolished the legendary Mexican in eleven rounds at the Alamadome in San Antonio, Texas in November 2003 . The TKO victory catapulted Pacquiao to superstar status.
WBC founding secretary general, the eminent lawyer Rudy Salud earlier suggested that De La Hoya and Arum set aside their battle over promotional rights of Pacquiao and co-promote the rematch with Barrera and resolve their differences later.
