Manny Pacquiao?s desire to avenge the defeat of younger brother Bobby to Humberto Soto of Mexico might be realized before the end of the year, the Mexican media reported yesterday.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum told Sergio Abarca of Notimex, the Mexican news agency, that the Venetian Hotel in Macau is one of the frontrunners to host a Pacquiao fight before the end of 2008 although he would only be able to dot the Is and cross the Ts after June 28 when Pacquiao clashes with David Diaz in Las Vegas.
Arum said he had already made a promise to some influential individuals in Macau that he will bring Pacquiao there next.
“This (Pacquiao versus Soto) is an attractive fight,” said Arum, who was in the city of Aguascalientes for another successful showcase of ?Latin Fury.?
Soto, who also fights under Top Rank like Pacquiao, will see action underneath the Pacquiao-Diaz headliner at Mandalay Bay as he faces Francisco Lorenzo of the Dominican Republic, the same setup that Arum made when he put Diaz underneath the Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez rematch last March.
Soto holds a 48-6-2 win-loss-draw slate with 28 knockouts and is best remembered by fight fans as the crafty banger who mauled Pacquiao?s younger brother ? Bobby ? to a pulp last year at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pacquiao was so hurt by his brother?s sixth-round knockout defeat that he would be willing to slug with Soto even for free so he could exact some sort of a payback for the fighting Pacquiao family.
Of course, that wouldn?t be case in the event Arum succeeds in bringing the fight to former Portuguese colony since Pacquiao will stand to make a killing owing to the fact that Top Rank will not be subjected to sharing the promotion with another promoter as in the case when Pacquiao fought Marco Antonio Barrera in October last year.
Since there would only be one promoter?Top Rank?Pacquiao?s MP Promotions should be able to cash in on other moneymaking ventures apart from the purse and pay-per-view.
Soto, however, is one of a few guys being mentioned as a possible foe after the Diaz bout.
The names of lightweight champion Nate Campbell of the US, British super-lightweight Ricky Hatton and Marquez have regularly been mentioned.
Pressed for comment during a break in training in Los Angeles, Pacquiao counters that Diaz is a fellow not to be overlooked.
