Manny Pacquiao’s eyes are heavily glued on Marco Antonio Barrera.
Pacquiao, set to face the Mexican in a rematch on Oct. 6 in Las Vegas, said he’s not looking at any other fighter right now than the former WBC super-featherweight champion.
“Let’s finish off Barrera first,” he told The Star. Only after beating Barrera at Mandalay Bay in a rematch of their classic 2003 showdown in San Antonio will the Filipino start thinking of the other fighters wishing and aching to face him.
These are reigning WBC champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, WBA king Edwin Valero of Venezuela, WBO titlist Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic and a couple more.
Pacquiao is scheduled to leave for the US tonight for a forthcoming poker tournament in Las Vegas, and a chance to meet the promoters of the October fight – Top Rank and Golden Boy.
Pacquiao will be joined in the trip by Pinoy trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri – just in case he gets stranded there until he begins training for Barrera by the end of the month.
Pacquiao said over the phone that he couldn’t wait to start training.
In fact, according to his chief of staff Jake Joson, the 28-year-old boxer wanted to work out at the Wild Card Gym in Para?aque last Sunday. His former business manager, Rod Nazario, owns the gym.
“But apparently he was advised by Freddie Roach to stay away from the gym and instead try to stay in shape by jogging. What he did was play basketball at the BF Homes gym near his house,” said Joson.
“Manny wanted to work out at the gym. He’s really excited with this coming fight. He knows that this is the fight that his fans want to see. Even in the basketball court, they were asking him about Barrera,” he added.
Pacquiao was busy last week shooting a commercial for San Miguel Beer, an ad where the visiting martial arts expert and Hollywood star Jet Li will have a very special role.
The boxer from Gen. Santos City is scheduled to do another commercial but, according to his chief of staff, that would depend on whether he gets to return home in the middle of the month.
