Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao warned Humberto Soto that he will stop him in three rounds if indeed a fight with the rising Mexican boxer is held on Oct. 6 in chilly Vancouver, British Columbia.
Pacquiao has vengeance in his eyes after watching his younger brother, Bobby Pacquiao, get knocked out by Soto in their Madison Square Garden encounter last Saturday in New York.
“I’ve never seen Manny grieve over a loss this way. He just can’t take the fistic work-over done by Soto over Bobby,” said boxing expert Hermie Rivera who’s now with Pacquiao in Los Angeles.
“Manny is definitely looking to an early ending to their planned Oct. 6 fight in Vancouver,” said Rivera through e-mail.
While it’s quite unusual for Pacquiao to make predictions for a fight, this time it seems different as the flamboyant boxer said Soto wouldn’t last three rounds.
“Kating-kati na ako maipag-higante ang talo ni Bobby. Magandang palitan ito pero tiyak hindi tatagal (I’m itching to avenge Bobby’s loss. It’s going to be a good exchange but it won’t last),” Pacquiao said.
Both Pacquiao and Soto are under Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions, making the fight easy to stage. The legendary promoter called Soto “a worthy challenger” to the Filipino champ.
In New York, Rivera also had the chance to ask Soto if he plans to knock out the elder Pacquiao, certainly the hardest-hitting boxer in the super-featherweight division. “If he wants to avenge his brother’s loss, he (Manny) is most welcome, ” Soto said.
Although no official announcement of the Pacquiao-Soto bout has been made, CTV Vancouver reportedly announced on air last Tuesday the date and venue of the fight.
The report said it’s going to be held at the General Motors Place at 800 Griffiths Way in Vancouver. It’s an indoor arena built in 1995, and can house close to 19,000 fans.
There are more than 140,000 Filipinos residing in Vancouver, and packing the venue shouldn’t be a problem. Filipinos in Vancouver are already excited over the fight, regardless of Pacquiao’s opponent. –
