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Manny Pacquiao has returned from a vacation with his family in Israel but has no word on when his next fight will be although he had earlier indicated he would like to fight in April before a planned fifth showdown with Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez which Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said would most likely take place in September.
Lightweight Mercito “No Mercy” Gesta who disappointed his fans when the previously undefeated Filipino southpaw lost a lopsided unanimous decision to IBF champion Miguel Vazquez of Mexico at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last December 8 can make a comeback. Gesta’s trainer and co-manager Vince Parra told the Manila Standard “He is a young man, very talented. It’s not going to be an easy road back. I feel disappointed. I told Mercito ‘you are going to have to work your way back’ but expressed confidence that the 25 year old “ is quite capable of doing that.”
It was announced on Monday that former WBC flyweight champion Sonny Boy Jaro would see action at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico on February 2. 30 year old Sonny Boy Jaro, who has a record of 34-11-5 with 24 knockouts, was said to be facing 27 year old Puerto Rican McWilliams Arroyo, the reigning WBO Latino flyweight champion in a title fight. Arroyo has a record of 13-1 with 11 knockouts.
World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman will recommend that WBC Silver champion and mandatory challenger Denver Cuello fights Chinese champion Xiong Zhao Zhong next instead of a planned voluntary defense by the champion against a still unnamed fighter reportedly in Las Vegas.
Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao is contemplating legal action against the neurologist who claimed the fighter had shown early signs of Parkinson’s disease. Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz responded to a query from BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard after neurologist and president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Dr. Rustico Jimenez, claimed that he had noticed Pacquiao’s hand twitching and stuttering from watching him on television.
World Boxing Council president Don Jose Sulaiman has said he cannot reverse the board of governors decision to allow star-weight champion Xiong Zhao Zhong of China to have a voluntary title defense before facing mandatory challenger and Silver champion Denver Cuello of the Philippines. Amidst a flurry of exchanges between Cuello’s promoter and trainer, former boxer Aljoe Jaro and Sulaiman following the WBC board of governors decision effectively over-ruling an earlier commitment that Cuello would get a mandatory title shot at the winner between Zhong and Mexico’s Javier Martinez Resendiz in Kunming, China last November 24 after Cuello stepped aside at the request of Sulaiman and payment of a fee of $25,000, Aljoe Jaro made it clear he was not willing to step-aside again.
Well known Filipino promoter Sammy Gello-ani hopes that IBF light flyweight champion Johnreil Casimero will be able to make a mandatory defense of his title against Panama’s Alberto Rios in Manila.
WBO, Ring Magazine and WBC super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire expects to have an even better 2013 following what he called an “incredible year” in 2012 when he won the 122 pound title and successfully – and impressively – defended it three times.
We find it distasteful to say the least for people to suddenly turn against Manny Pacquiao because of his unfortunate loss to Juan Manuel Marquez and play on that defeat to build up the stature of Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire. Knowing Nonito the way we do, he would be the last person to be pleased over these distressing efforts because he has extolled Manny many times in the past for his incredible achievements in the ring and his care and compassion for the poor as well as his trailblazing efforts that opened the doors for many other promising young Filipino fighters to get an opportunity to fight in the United States in particular and to show an international audience the skill and courage that are inherent in the Filipino. For all our admiration for Donaire after covering most of his world title fights thanks to our respected friends - the chairman of the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN Mr. Gabby Lopez and vice president for sports Peter Musngi – we are certain Nonito wishes to make a name for himself not by putting Pacquiao or any other fighter down but by demonstrating his own remarkable talent as one of the classiest fighters in the business with uncanny ring savvy to go along with incredible hand-speed and punching power.
Undefeated World Boxing Association junior flyweight champion Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez of Nicaragua said that he would like to fight Filipino World Boxing Organization/World Boxing Association flyweight champion Brian Viloria, although it seems he will first face No.2-ranked Japanese Kazuto Ioka. Gonzalez, who won a furious battle with Mexico’s Juan “El Gallo” Estrada at the Los Angeles Sports Arena last month in the same card, where Viloria won the WBA title with a 10th-round TKO of Hernan Marquez, said that while his promoters and management team are responsible for picking his opponents, “if given a choice, I would like to face Brian Viloria.”