LOS ANGELES-Former featherweight kingpin Marco Antonio Barrera has opted to seek a third and final confrontation with arch-nemesis and fellow Mexican Erik Morales, deciding to forego a rematch with tormentor Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines for the meantime.
Eyeing separate fight dates set in November, the respective promoters of Barrera, Pacquiao and Morales have been burning communication lines and dangling proposals for a final contract signing even as talks of a Pacquiao-Barrera II have bogged down anew.
Barrera, 30, wants to fight Morales to finally settle a 1-1 count, the former winning their last battle. Morales, who has recently won the IBF and WBC super featherweight belts, has been mulling to go up in weight and issue a challenge against the top guns of the lightweight division.
He, however, expressed interest in taking on Barrera or Pacquiao before finally facing the likes of Diego Corrales or Joel Casamayor.
With that being considered, both Barrera and Pacquiao’s promoters are racing against time to seal a deal for Morales’ last possible fight as champ of the 130-pound division.
News of a possible Pacquiao-Morales showdown on Nov. 6 has circulated but Top Rank Inc. publicist Ricardo Jimenez indicated that he had no knowledge of such an agreement or communication between his boss, Bob Arum, and Pacquiao’s New Jersey-based promoter Murad Muhammad.
“Mr. Arum is busy touring the nation, promoting the fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins,” said Jimenez.
Muhammad could not be reached for comment. He, however, said in past interviews that seeking a fight with Morales is one of his ultimate goals.
Moreover, Muhammad and Arum have explored the possibility of pitting Pacquiao and Morales as early as February this year.
Previously, Golden Boy Promotions, the promotions outfit for Barrera, reserved Nov. 27 as a possible fight date between the “Baby-faced Assassin” and Pacquiao, the fighter who has dealt him the worst loss of his 63-fight career.
“Marco Antonio Barrera will fight on Nov. 27 but it will not be against Manny Pacquiao,” said Marylyn Aceves, public relations chief for Golden Boy Promotions. “We have decided to go after Erik Morales first because of his decision to fight in the 135-pound division. Marco Antonio feels it important to go after Erik Morales at 130.”
Aceves, however, said that a rematch between Pacquiao is still an option for next year and that Barrera has no plans of leaving the ranks of featherweights.
Barrera, who recently won his comeback match by knocking out Texan Paulie Ayala in 10 rounds, expressed desire to avenge his one-sided loss to Pacquiao.
Pacquiao dominated Barrera and won by knockout in the 11th round at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, also in the month of November last year.
Should Barrera and his team finally ink a deal with Top Rank, Pacquiao will be left without an opponent. He has last fought last May 8 and plans to start training on Sept. 8 at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao, the “People’s Champion” and considered as the world’s top featherweight, settled to a controversial 12-round draw with Mexican double champ Juan Manuel Marquez in a fight that still stands as top candidate for 2004’s Fight of the Year.
But instead of asking for an immediate rematch, Marquez has chosen to fight young Orlando Salido in a mandatory defense of his IBF crown on Sept. 18 in the undercard of the Hopkins-De La Hoya fight.
