TOP RANK chairman Bob Arum has pruned down the list of Manny Pacquiao?s next opponent to four fighters, and by the end of the week, it will be down to just three.
“Juan Manuel Marquez, (the winner of this Saturday?s fight between) Joan Guzman and Humberto Soto and David Diaz,” Arum told the Bulletin from his Las Vegas residence yesterday.
While Marquez appears to be the front-runner for the penciled March 15, 2008 bout at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Arum stressed that “there?s no priority among the boxers mentioned” and that everything will be known soon.
“By the first week of December, we would have known everything,” said Arum.
After this weekend?s Guzman-Soto fight in Atlantic City, Arum said he will “lay down the financial details for each fight and let Manny decide.”
“Manny need not come over here to discuss it as long as (Pacquiao lawyer) Jeng (Gacal) will be included (in the long-distance conversation),” said Arum, who has opted to remain in the US and forego the ongoing 45th World Boxing Council (WBC) convention owing to his hectic schedule.
Arum admitted that recent talks with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) chief executive officer Richard Schaefer in New York went on smoothly.
Marquez is the reigning WBC super-featherweight champion and is promoted by GBP, while Diaz is the WBC lightweight titlist and is a Top Rank talent.
Guzman is staking his World Boxing Organization super-feather jewels against top contender Soto.
New York-based Guzman, a native of the Dominican Republic, has solid promotional ties with GBP although he is under contract with Sycuan Promotions, which is based in San Diego, California.
Soto, who knocked out Bobby Pacquiao last June, is with Top Rank.
Before Arum rattled off the names of Marquez, Guzman, Soto and David Diaz, other names that came up were those of reigning World Boxing Association (WBC) superfeather ruler Edwin Valero of Venezuela and WBA lightweight boss Juan Diaz.
Diaz, promoted by Don King Productions (DKP), is also aching to get it on with Pacquiao and DKP executive Bob Goodman, sent to Manila by DKP, believes “the money fight is Pacquiao versus (Juan) Diaz.”
Meanwhile, Pacquiao adviser Wakee Salud disclosed that Arum will push for either (David) Diaz or Soto (in the event he wins against Guzman).
“Arum handles Diaz and Soto and Top Rank will not get much if it?s Marquez since GBP will have a big involvement in the promotion,” said Salud.
However, “if GBP makes some adjustments, a Marquez rematch can be done,” said Salud.
“Give Manny a million purse and he will agree to fight Marquez,” said Salud.
