Morales wants a rubbermatch: Pacquiao is ready to beat him again

By Emmanuel B. Villaruel The Freeman 02/03/2006 The rivalry between Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao and Mexican legend Erik Morales is not over yet. This after Pacquiao revealed that US promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank informed him just the other day that Morales wants a rubber match this September, hopefully to put a definitive closure as to who is the superior fighter between them. "Tinawagan ako ni Bob Arum at sabi niya gusto pa raw ni Morales na lumaban muli sa akin pero sa Septiyembre pa. Pagbigyan ko siya para tuluyan na siyang mag-retire," said Pacquiao in slight jest. Morales won the first match by a close decision in March 2005, but Pacquiao did the impossible in exacting revenge - flooring the once indestructible Mexican, not just once, but twice, in the 10th round on the way to an incredible technical knockout victory last January 21. "Walang problema sa akin ang rematch. Si Morales dapat ang tanungin kung willing pa ba siya dahil binugbog ko na siya eh," (I have no problem with the rematch. Better ask Morales if he is still willing since I already battered him) added Pacquiao. Pacquiao is confident he can repeat his mastery over Morales and he vowed to do it in a more impressive way. "Tatalunin ko pa rin siya at mas higitan ko pa ang ipinakita ko kay sa huli kong panalo sa kanya," (I will beat him again and will do a better job than the last time I beat him) said Pacquiao. Pacquiao said he wants to have one tune-up fight before taking on Morales in a tiebreaker that promises to be another blockbuster showdown. "Seguro isang tune-up fight muna bago si Morales. Hindi ko pa alam kung dito ba gaganapin sa Pilipinas ang laban kasi i-negotiate pa yan nang team ko. Wala pa rin akong idea kung sino ang susunod na makalaban ko. Maski sino huwag lang ang kapwa ko Pilipino," (Maybe I'll have one tune-up fight before Morales. I do not know yet if the fight will be held in the Philippines since, that will still be negotiated by my team. I also have no idea who my next opponent will be. I will fight anyone, not just a fellow Filipino) said Pacquiao. Reports cropped up that Pacquiao's next fight could be in the Philippines against a rated junior lightweight contender somewhere around the 130 pounds limit. "An HBO executive, who asked that I withhold his name until things are finalized, says that the entire HBO crew will be transported to the Philippines for this event. They are talking about June or July," said award-winning writer and talk show host Pedro Fernandez of www.ringtalk.com. Pacquiao slipped into Cebu yesterday to secure a Japanese visa as he wants to go to Japan for a much-needed vacation and also to cheer for the two Cebuano boxers, who will defend their respective Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation titles against Japanese challengers this Sunday in Nagoya. They are ex-WBC flyweight champion Malcolm Tuñacao and Randy Suico, both from Mandaue City. Tuñacao will defend his OPBF bantamweight title against Kohei Ohba, while Suico will put his OPBF super featherweight crown on the line against Ryuhei Sugita. "Gusto kong suportahan yung mga kababayan ko na lalaban ng championship sa Japan at saka para magbakasyon naman doon," (I'd like to support my countrymen who will fight in a championship match in Japan and also to take a vacation there) said Pacquiao. Cebuano promoter Rex "Wakee" Salud, a close friend and business partner of Pacquiao, said they could have processed their travel papers to Japan in Manila, but he opted to bring Pacman here so the Cebuanos could catch a glimpse of their boxing hero. "We could have processed our visa in Manila, but I opted to bring Pacquiao here so the Cebuanos can see him," said Salud. Initially, Salud said they wanted to keep Pacquiao's Cebu visit as private as possible, but Pacquiao couldn't escape from the prying eyes of adoring Cebuano fans. Upon disembarking from Cebu Pacific flight 5J594 from Davao City, Pacquiao and Salud were immediately whisked away to Macasero Studio on A. del Rosario St. in Mandaue City and had their photos taken for the IDs they needed in their application for a visa. While waiting for their pictures, Pacquiao devoured delicious 'bibingka', a famous Mandaue delicacy, which is incidentally his favorite. Only a handful recognized Pacquiao as he covered his face. Afterwhich, they proceeded to the Japanese consular office at the seventh floor of Keppel Center in Ayala Business Park. Work at the Keppel Tower paused for a while as a horde of employees mobbed Pacquiao. Interestingly, the security guard of the Japan consular office had the lyrics of Pacquiao's hit song "Para sa 'Yo, ang Laban na To," complete with guitar chords and have it autographed by Pacquiao. It only took Pacquiao about five minutes to process his visa as even the Japanese consul in Cebu Shigekazu Sakunaga turned out to be a big fan of the General Santos City fighter. "You unite the country Philippines. The peso is going up," said Sakunaga, who was obviously referring to the positive things Pacquiao brought to his countrymen out of his Morales victory. After going out of the Japanese consulate, Pacquiao was again swarmed by a circus of appreciative fans, who were thrilled to rub elbows and take photos with their beloved ring idol. Pacquiao then feasted on a sumptuos lunch at the Beehive Restaurant where he met Yolly Tuadles, the Philippine representative of the US-based Stein Global Sports and Entertainment, which is willing to promote Pacquiao's next fight. "I can't divulge details of our offer to Pacquiao for the time being because we don't want to pre-empt everything," said Tuadles. Late in the afternoon, Pacquiao paid a courtesy call on Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña at the City Hall. Osmeña earlier announced the City will give a special award to Pacquiao during its Charter Day on February 24. Pacquiao and Salud are set to go back to Manila this afternoon. They will leave for Japan on Saturday.