Edwin Valero will have to satisfy himself beating a few more “tricycle drivers” before he gets a crack at Manny Pacquiao.
The rising star from Venezuela, who has knocked out all his 21 opponents as a pro, has called on Pacquiao’s name and expressed his willingness to face the Filipino fighter this year.
But the Filipino camp is not looking at the long-haired destroyer as the one who will climb the ring against Pacquiao on April 28 at the newly-built Wynn Hotel in Macau.
“That fight will not happen this year. It will happen next year. Assuming that Valero’s amazing record continues, then his fight with Pacquiao will be a big one,” said Pacquiao’s legal adviser Franklin Gacal.
While they have not come face-to-face, there’s already bad blood going between Pacquiao and Valero who needed no more than 72 seconds to finish off Mexico’s Michael Lozada in Tokyo the other day.
A few times, Pacquiao had made fun at Valero, and the way he has demolished his opponents.
“They are all tricycle drivers,” said Pacquiao of Valero’s opponents.
After his victory last Wednesday, Valero threw some jabs at Pacquiao by saying: “I don’t want to hear from Manny a lot of excuses. If our fight will happen, he will realize that he, too, is a cab (tricycle) driver.”
Valero added: “I want Manny Pacquiao next. I hope Bob Arum is listening.”
Arum, definitely, was not as he formally informed Golden Boy Promotions of Top Rank’s offer for Marco Antonio Barrera to fight Pacquiao on April 28 in Las Vegas.
Gacal said Golden Boy has 10 days to respond, or Pacquiao pushes through with his fight, with someone else, in Macau. And it’s not going to be Valero.
