MANILA –Filipino boxing-icon Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Mexican Erik “El Terrible” Morales are scheduled to appear before boxing aficionados in four big cities in the United States.
Pacquiao said he will leave for the US on Nov. 9 to conduct a weeklong press briefing in New York, Mexico, Las Vegas and Houston to drum up interest for their rematch on Jan. 21 in Las Vegas.
Interest
“It’s like a tour, hopefully to attract interest for my coming rematch with Erik Morales,” Pacquiao said Friday night.
Although he did not reveal his complete entourage, sources said that Cebu promoter Wakee Salud, manager of Pacquiao’s elder brother Bobby, will join Pacman in the US trip.
The promotional tour may include Tijuana, Mexico, the hometown of Morales, who escaped a close split decision over the Filipino in their 12-round encounter last March at the MGM Grand also in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, who suffered a deep cut in the right eyebrow in the fifth round, vowed to take vengeance on Morales.
Earlier, the World Boxing Council ruled in its recent annual convention in Spain that the winner of the Pacquiao-Morales rematch will have to face WBC and International Boxing Federation super-featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera, whom Pacquiao defeated via 11-round TKO in Alamino, Texas in 2003.
The General Santos City-native, Pacquiao, is guaranteed $2 million plus a percentage of the pay-per-view sales in the rematch against Morales.
Rigid training
Pacquiao said he will be back in the Philippines after a week and will start rigid training under Freddie Roach in Cebu City for two weeks before the final training camp in the US.
“I will be back immediately from the US after a week. Perhaps Freddie (Roach) will be with me to start training in Cebu, probably for two weeks,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao won via sixth-round knockout over Hector Velazquez of Mexico at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California last month. (FCC)
