THE next opponent of Manny Pacquiao will not be known until the middle of November.
After Pacquiao?s win over Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch last Sunday, many speculated on who will be the next in line for the Filipino boxing superstar, who has made a tremendous impact on boxing.
However, who Pacquiao fights next will depend on the results of two bouts? the Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Rocky Juarez fight on Nov. 3 and the Joan Guzman vs. Humberto Sotto match on Nov. 17.
Marquez will make his first title defense of his WBC super featherweight title, the belt he took from Barrera last March, while Guzman will also defend his WBO 130-lb. belt.
Top Rank?s Bob Arum revealed that they can not make any decision yet because of the two pending fights which will largely determine who will be Pacquiao?s next opponent.
But one thing is sure for now, Pacquiao will be fighting in March 2008.
?We are going to get a date for him (Pacquiao) in early March. We are looking at the winner of the Marquez-Juarez fight, we are looking at the winner of the Soto-Guzman fight and maybe if he wants to go up in weight to 135 pounds since he had a little difficulty in making the weight (130lbs) and looked very drawn, it wouldn?t be a problem,? Arum said in a report posted at Philboxing.com.
Pacquiao announced during the post- fight press conference last Sunday that he wanted to move up to 135 pounds and wants to fight WBC champion David Diaz, one of the three Diazes that dominates the lightweight division.
?There is no problem getting anybody, because Golden Boy has Marquez and Juarez and we (Top Rank) have Soto and Diaz. There is a possibility that the fight may go to Macau. But right now, if it stays in North America, it would probably be in Las Vegas because they had a ?very good result? in the last fight between Pacquiao and Barrera,? Arum said.
The possible venues at Las Vegas might be the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino, where the rematch with Barrera was held, or the MGM Grand Hotel. Arum and his new partner the Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar de la Hoya, is also planning to make Pacquiao busy next year.
?We hope Manny will be more active next year. We are looking to fight him at least three times and he wants to fight three times? maybe March, July and November,? Arum said.
