At long last, the wait is over for Ring Magazine featherweight People?s Champion Manny Pacquiao.
Promoter Murad Muhammad informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard yesterday that Pacquiao will fight World Boxing Organization Intercontinental champion Gairy St. Clair of Australia in Manila with the target date being Nov. 27 or the first week of December.
Murad said: ?It would be a wonderful and major event to bring Manny back home to fight.?
The choice for the fight would almost certainly be the Araneta Coliseum, the country?s sports and entertainment center since owner Jorge ?Nene? Araneta has long expressed his interest in staging a Pacquiao fight at the Big Dome, where the famous ?Thrilla in Manila? between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier took place in 1975.
Murad declined to identify the individuals he was dealing with saying ?I am dealing with very reliable, capable people who have asked that I not disclose their identity before the closure of the deal early this week.?
Team Pacquiao member, boxing analyst Moy Lainez, disclosed that he had spoken to Pacquiao?s business manager Rod Nazario yesterday and had been told about the scheduled fight.
But he said Nazario declined to give any details except that the deal will be finalized this week.
Murad said the fight would be carried ?live from the Philippines? but did not reveal whether HBO Sports would cover the fight.
?If it pleases God, I will be coming to my second home (Manila) to hold a press conference,? Murad said.
St. Clair had earlier turned down an offer to fight Randy Suico for the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation super featherweight title on Oct. 23, apparently because of the opportunity to fight Pacquiao.
The 29-year-old, 5-foot-4 Australian has fought some of the best in the world, including reigning World Boxing Organization lightweight champion and former International Boxing Organization and WBO super featherweight champion Diego Corrales, losing a unanimous 12-round decision in an International Boxing Federations super featherweight title eliminator.
St. Clair also dropped a unanimous 10-round decision to reigning World Boxing Association and International Boxing Association light welterweight champion Vivian Harris and suffered another 10-round loss to Leonard Dorin, the former WBA/IBF and IBC lightweight champion, clearly indicating he is a tough opponent.
St. Clair has an impressive ring record of 35-3-2 with 17 knockouts. He scored a sixth-round KO over the Philippines? Bart Abapo in a fight for the vacant WBF International super featherweight title last July 17 and then won the vacant WBO Intercontinental title with a unanimous decision over Thailand?s rugged Decho Bankluaygym.
