MANNY Pacquiao yesterday vowed to stop Fahsan 3K Battery cold and cut the Thai’s nasty habit of collecting Filipino scalps.
Not so fast, countered the world-rated Thai who bragged that, in the first place, he has never been knocked out.
“We came here to win and show the Philippines that your Manny Pacquiao can be beaten,” said Fahsan through an interpreter during the press launch of “Yanig sa Taguig” at Pier One of The Fort in Taguig.
The Thai, whose real name is Fahsan Sor Thawatchai, has claimed a total of 20 Filipino scalps over the years and is confident he can add the name of the Ring Magazine world featherweight champion to his list of victims when they clash on Dec. 11.
The 31-year-old Fahsan, with a 44-7-1 (win-loss-draw) record, with 23 KOs, claimed he’s in the best shape of his career. He’s ranked fourth by the International Boxing Federation.
Pacquiao, 38-2-2 (30 KOs) is seen as too strong for Fahsan.
But the 25-year-old Pacquiao said he would not be caught wasting his time on the Thai, dubbed by fight publicists as Destroyer of Filipinos.
Pacquiao, vowing not to take his Thai foe lightly, said he would use the fight to achieve the peak level he had in his first fight against Mexican WBA/IBF featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas last May.
“I can make that shape in time,” said Pacquiao in Filipino. “Of course, I would want to be in the same shape as in the Marquez fight and crush this Thai.”
The bout, which will be worth at least P17 million for Pacquiao, is a tune-up for the General Santos native’s grudge rematch with Marquez on Feb. 26 next year.
Murad Muhammad, Pacquiao’s promoter, was at the launch together with Fahsan, who flew over on short notice and will plane back to Thailand tomorrow. He’ll be back five days before the fight.
Murad emphasized that, due to Pacquiao’s long lay-off, he wants no less than a beatdown when the Filipino celebrity sees action again next month.
“Gusto ko nga ngayon ko na upakan eh, kung di lang ako pinigil ni (I would have loved to beat him right now, but I was restrained by) Mayor Freddie Tinga,” Pacquiao was said to have quipped during a talk with Games and Amusements Board OIC Emmanuel Palabrica.
Both Pacquiao and Fahsan tipped the scales at 130 lb yesterday during a mock weigh-in held for the press. They are contracted to fight under the 126-lb featherweight limit.
Murad, appearing relaxed owing to the commitment made by Solar Sports, Smart Communications, and Tinga to support the event, also thanked the GAB for allowing the official weigh-in at The Fort, instead of the GAB office in Makati City, on the eve of the fight.
Seeing action in the Pacquiao-Fahsan undercard is Philippine super featherweight champ Bobby Pacquiao, who will defend against Cebuano phenom Dexter “Dinamita” Delada, a protege of Wakee Salud.
Z “The Dream” Gorres, handled by lawyer Rudy Salud and Cebu sportsman Tony Aldeguer, is also slated to see action.
