Marquez: "Barerra doesn't want a quick rematch"

By James Blears, BoxingScene.com, 28 Mar 2007
Newly crowned WBC Super Featherweight Champion Juan Manuel Marquez says Marco Antonio Barrera doesn’t want an immediate re-match. Juan, who was presented with the famous green belt at a Mexico City restaurant alongside beaming younger Brother and fellow WBC Champion Rafael, by its Executive Secretary Mauricio Sulaiman, said he really wanted the immediate re-match with Marco, because fight one had been such a fan thrille Read Full Story >>>

PACQUIAO GETS MINOR CUT IN SPARRING!

By Salven L. Lagumbay, PhilBoxing.com, 28 Mar 2007
A minor cut above the left eyebrow of superstar Manny Pacquiao forced the cancellation of his sparring session today at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. According to GMA-7 in its early morning report, Pacquiao's trainers called the injury a "minor scratch" which measured one-and-a-half inches, and was not severe enough to threaten his April 14 bout with Mexican Jorge Solis. Pacquiao, according to reports, vented his ire on a punching bag after it was decided he had to stop sparring for th Read Full Story >>>

Q&A: Manny Pacquiao!

By Felipe Leon, FightNews.com, 28 Mar 2007
Manny Pacquiao (43-3-2, 34KO) has taken the boxing world by storm in the last four years or so. Since his devastating destruction of the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera in the Alamodome in 2003, Pacman has raised to the top of many pound for pound lists. His trail of victims is a virtual who’s who of the featherweight and super featherweight divisions. Since that fateful night in 2003 when he administered a devastating TKO to Barrera, he has fought Juan Manuel Marquez, the current WBC 13 Read Full Story >>>

ARUM MANEUVERS FOR MARQUEZ-SOTO DUEL

By Ronnie Nathanielsz, PhilBoxing.com, 28 Mar 2007
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has asked the World Boxing Council to “enforce Humberto Soto” as the mandatory challenger to newly crowned WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez even though Manny Pacquiao is listed as the mandatory challenger. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that he had been informed by the WBC that on the same day Manny Pacquiao informed the WBC that he wanted to retain his mandatory position to fig Read Full Story >>>

Would Pacquiao feast on spoiled tortilla?

By Recah Trinidad, Inquirer News Service, 28 Mar 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- He’s unbeaten in 32 fights but what else do we know of Jorge Solis? His father, no need to wonder, must be one tall, hard-working paisano. But after a couple of no-shows in California last week, Señor Jorge’s middle name should now be changed to Mystery. Three weeks before his scheduled April 14 clash with Pinoy superhero Manny Pacquiao, the 5-foot-10 Solis has, so far, achieved one unusual feat. He has kept everybody guessing. * * * Is this u Read Full Story >>>

Pacquiao wants Roach to call the shots

By NICK GIONGCO

MANNY PACQUIAO wants a special someone to be in his corner when he makes a return trip to the venue of one of his most storied victories. Not his wife, but his trusted cornerman Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao told his lawyer Franklin Gacal that he would like nothing more than to have Roach at the stadium when he takes on Jorge Solis at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 14.

"Manny told me that he wants Freddie Roach to be in his corner," Gacal said yesterday from General Santos City when contacted by the Manila Bulletin.

Roach is currently under contract with Oscar de la Hoya whom the American trainer is preparing for a May fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and De la Hoya has been at odds with the Pacquiao camp since Manny rescinded a contract to fight under his promotional firm in favor of Bob Arum’s Top Rank.

In fact, De la Hoya filed an injunction to stop the Pacquiao-Solis fight which a Las Vegas court threw out.

With so much animosity between De La Hoya and Arum, observers are asking why would Oscar release Roach to be at Pacquiao’s’ corner?

Roach, in an interview conducted by Brad Cooney in fightnews.com that came out yesterday, admitted he had talked to Pacquiao.

"Yes, I talked to Manny last night. Manny asked me if I could come to San Antonio to work his corner for the Solis fight. I told him that I would talk to Oscar about that tomorrow, I will only miss one day if I do, and I told Manny that I would do my best to be there," Roach told fightnews from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

De la Hoya has not committed to Roach’s request.

Roach feels that Pacquiao does not need him in his corner.

"I think Manny will do fine against Solis. Anybody that decides to trade punches with Manny doesn’t do very well," added Roach.

If De la Hoya agrees to let go of Roach for Pacquiao, Roach wants to fly out of Puerto Rico on Friday, call the shots for Pacquiao the following day and reunite with De La Hoya on Sunday.

It was also at the Alamodome where Pacquiao scored arguably the biggest win of his career – an 11th-round stoppage of Marco Antonio Barrera that sent his star soaring and that of Roach as well.

Pacquiao’s training is being supervised by Roach’s right-hand man Justin Fortune and Filipino assistants Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri.

Meanwhile, Gacal will have his hands full in the next two days in relation with Pacquiao’s impending entry into politics.

"I have been very busy talking and trying to convince the owners of the commercial billboards of Manny to remove these materials at the soonest possible time," said Gacal.

Under election laws, those aspiring for public office are not allowed to appear in commercial advertisements.

Gacal said Pacquiao appears in billboards, streamers and posters of McDonald’s, Circulan and Magnolia.

"I have been having a hard time convincing them to take these off but if they don’t, I might be forced to go up and take them off myself."

Arum sees rematch if Barrera is out of GBP

By Abac Cordero
The Philippine Star 03/28/2007

Bob Arum still would love to see Manny Pacquiao taking on Marco Antonio Barrera. "That is still a very attractive fight. Barrera is still a very attractive fighter," Arum, the big boss at Top Rank, told fightnews.com when asked about his next plans for the Filipino superstar.

Barrera absorbed a stunning loss to fellow Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez last week at the Mandalay in Las Vegas and yielded his World Boxing Council super-featherweight crown.

Both Barrera and Marquez have an old score to settle with Pacquiao, with the former aching to avenge his 2003 loss, and the latter out to erase the stigma of a controversial draw with Pacquiao in 2004. Arum said chances of Pacquiao facing Barrera soon will depend on the veracity of reports that the deposed champion has severed his ties with Golden Boy Promotions.

Arum told fightnews.com that Barrera had hinted that he is no longer with GBP, which is locked in a bitter court dispute over Pacquiao. The dispute is one of the reasons why Barrera faced Marquez instead of Pacquiao.

"He has told people. First of all at the post fight interview he said ‘maybe it is time for me say bye bye to Golden Boy’ and he has told people that he has no contract with Golden Boy.

"Whether that is true or not, I don’t know and I am not interfering. Somebody has to show me that he is not with them before I will sit down with him," Arum was quoted as saying.

"I don’t know if Barrera is still with Golden Boy. He says he isn’t but who knows? And Marquez can’t draw flies. He is a good fighter but he can’t draw flies," he added.

Arum said either Barrera or Marquez will be a good fight for Pacquiao, who will face Jorge Solis of Mexico on April 14 in San Antonio, Texas, but another fight looming in the horizon is that against Humberto Soto.

Soto, who is under Top Rank like Pacquiao, is one of the dreaded fighters in the super-featherweight division.

" I think there are some major fights out there (for Pacquiao). I think the most difficult fight would be with Humberto Soto. People that love boxing would love to see that fight. That would be a very interesting fight," Arum said.

The WBC has declared Pacquiao as the mandatory challenger to Marquez, and the Filipino southpaw has responded favorably, saying he is willing to face Marquez if he is given enough time to prepare for the fight.

But some quarters believe that Arum might instead work for a Soto-Marquez fight by the end of the year, coupled with a Pacquiao-Barrera rematch.