Golden Boy Promotions on Tuesday finalized the fight between World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez on March 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, thus denying Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao a shot at the world crown.
Saying Pacquiao seemed not interested to face Barrera in March, GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer has sealed the Mexican champ’s face-off with Marquez in a fight which Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, had said would never happen.
“We proved Arum wrong again. All these people are feeding Manny (Pacquiao) wrong information,” said Schaefer in an interview with Philboxing.com. “I have no doubt that one day Manny will wake up and realize on how he has been misled.”
For winning all his three fights in thrilling fashion last year, including two over Mexican three-time world champion Erik Morales for the WBC international super featherweight crown, Pacquiao has become the sport’s biggest draw.
This prompted Top Rank, armed with a fresh four-year contract with Pacquiao, to challenge Barrera to a rematch on April 28, giving GBP 10 days to decide upon receipt of a formal offer.
But Golden Boy issued a separate Jan. 2 deadline for Pacquiao to agree to face Barrera, whom he demolished in 2003, on March 17, offering the latter a 50-50 split. In fact, Pacquiao’s manager Shelly Finkel, who also has been at odds with Arum, said he could guarantee the Filipino champion $5 million if he fought Barrera.
But Arum, who succeeded in luring Pacquiao into his fold, downplayed Golden Boy’s decision to go on with the Barrera-Marquez fight, saying there’s a long list of rivals whom Pacquiao can choose from for his next fight, most probably in Macau.
“Good,” said Arum. “If that is the case, then that is the case. Now we will see who Manny chooses from the list of nine, very viable opponents that we gave him. It’s all up to Manny now because he will then fight in April in Macau at Steve Wynn’s hotel-casino.”
Foremost in the list is Humberto “La Zorrita” Soto, the No. 2 ranked fighter behind Pacquiao in the 130-lb division of the WBC.
Arum added that Barrera’s selection (of Marquez) may hasten the end of the Mexican legend’s boxing career.
“Barrera will lose and he will make less money than he would’ve made against Manny,” Arum said. “No doubt, Marquez will beat Barrera. Is that a PPV fight? I don’t think so, certainly not as a stand-alone fight. It’s just not a PPV, special event type PPV fight by itself.”
In a TV interview yesterday, Pacquiao said he is not worried about the upcoming Barrera-Marquez bout.
“Wala namang problema sa akin kung silang dalawa ang maglaban. Tinalo ko na si Barrera. Kaya hindi ako naghahabol sa kanya.Madami dyang gustong lumaban sa akin,” he said.
Meanwhile, Marquez trainer Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain welcomed the decision of GBP to stage the Barrera-Marquez fight.
