Rod Nazario, business manager of featherweight People?s Champion Manny Pacquiao, said yesterday he wants the planned rematch with legendary Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in late September or early October.
He stressed that the November date proposed by Richard Schaeffer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which handles Barrera ?was too long because Manny would have had a six-month layoff, which is not good.?
Nazario said the only possible alternative would be for Pacquiao to perhaps have a nontitle fight as a tuneup for his return bout with Barrera whom he annihilated in 11 rounds last Nov. 15 in San Antonio, Texas.
However, with his impressive 10th-round TKO over former world champion and Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year Paulie Ayala last Sunday, Barrera proved he is still a fighter to reckon with and has indicated he wants to avenge his loss to Pacquiao.
Pacquiao was scheduled to arrive yesterday evening from a brief vacation in Bangkok with wife Jinkee, their sons Emmanuel Jr. and Michael Stephen and Team Pacquiao members Moy Lainez and Gerry Garcia.
He requested Viva Sports for a VHS tape of the Barrera-Ayala fight upon his arrival so he could see how well the Mexican performed and what he would have to do to repeat his devastating triumph last year.
Viva Sports will telecast the Barrera-Ayala fight on the popular weekly boxing show ?Main Event? from 12 noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow over RPN-9, sponsored by PLDT Global, Red Bull Barako, Pizza Hut and Centrum.
In Bangkok, Pacquiao was special guest at the press conference for the International Boxing Federation Pan Pacific bantamweight title fight between undefeated champion Terapong Kaewnongsamed, who has a record of 15-0 and the Philippines? Michael Domingo (14-10-3), who is coming off an upset 10-round decision over world and OPBF rated Seung-Suk Chae of South Korea last May 31.
Terapong, in his last title defense on April 28 scored a sixth-round KO of Filipino Elden de la Cruz.
Pacquiao told the press that Domingo ?is a tough opponent? for the Thai but if Terapong can win against the Filipino and retain the IBF title, he could be a future world champion.
