ONE FIGHT at a time.
Manny Pacquiao will sign the contract for his Feb. 26, 2005 rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez for $900,000, but it doesn?t follow that he will do the same when asked to sign the one that stipulates that he faces Erik Morales sometime in July for $1.75 million.
It?s not because Pacquiao is afraid to wage war with Morales, the long-armed bomber from Tijuana, Mexico. It?s just that Pacquiao, who celebrated his 26th birthday lavishly in his hometown of General Santos City, doesn?t want to get disappointed.
“Isa-isa lang,” Pacquiao told the Bulletin. “Baka mamaya pirma tayo ng pirma tapos hindi naman matuloy kagaya noong nangyari last year nang sabihin na lalaban na daw ako kay Morales tapos hindi naman natuloy.
“Saka ko na pipirmahan yung ibang laban pagkatapos ng laban kay Marquez,” added Pacquiao.
An uncle of the fighter?s wife Jinkee is expected to review the contents of the contract, a jaded boxing man said.
It can be recalled that sometime in August, Pacquiao was told to train hard for a Nov. 6 fight with Morales. But a few days after the announcement, it was announced in Las Vegas that Morales will instead fight Marco Antonio Barrera, leaving the Filipino gunner without a major fight on US soil.
The documents are already in Pacquiao?s possession after his business manager Rod Nazario and associate Gerry Garcia flew all the way from Manila to attend his birthday celebration.
Nazario said he was assured by Pacquiao that the contracts will be forwarded to the Wild Card Gym on Presidents Ave. in BF Homes, Para?aque, via express mail this week.
“The documents are with him already and he told me that I will receive it back next week,” Nazario said upon arrival in Manila.
Pacquiao is coming off a devastating fourth-round knockout win over Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand.
His American trainer, Freddie Roach, wants him to start training for the Marquez bout as early as next week, but Pacquiao told his Hollywood-based cornerman that he will stay in shape during the holidays and should be knocking on the door by the first week of January.
During the famed boxer?s birthday, Nazario said that Pacquiao may have spent R1 million for the distribution of canned goods, rice and crisp R100 bills to the people of GenSan.
