Manny Pacquiao on Friday said his handlers want to stage a Thrilla in Manila 2 for his next bout, which they think would surpass the glamor of the original fight in 1975 that pitted heavyweight legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
During a visit to the Manila City Hall, Pacquiao said his management team wants to stage the fight against a still-unnamed opponent sometime in the middle of the year, primarily to tune him up for his next big bout.
“PacMan” added he would fight anyone within his super featherweight category, or 130 pounds, after he exacted revenge over the Mexican legend Erik Morales last Sunday in Las Vegas.
“Be it [Marco Antonio] Barrera or Morales, I would be like a thorn stuck in their throats. Right now, I can fight anyone they (promoters) want me to box as long as it’s on the same weight level,” he said.
Pacquiao?s management team, according to the boxer, said they would insist on their ward fighting in front of a hometown crowd and are optimistic it will be a big hit, judging from the overwhelming response of advertisers and fans alike to the Morales-Pacquiao fight dubbed as The Battle.
His handlers said that Home Box Office, which holds the broadcast rights to Pacquiao?s next fight, estimated the cost of staging a bout in Manila at $1 million (P53 million), mainly owing to the expense of bringing in an entire HBO crew and equipment from the United States.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao met his parents Rosalio and Dionesia in Manila for the first time in months, after he opted to spend the Christmas holidays in Los Angeles training for his rematch with Morales.
The 27-year-old southpaw actually had not seen his father in 15 years until recently, when the elder Pacquiao reunited with his wife after a separation.
“I?m really happy to see them,” said the pride of General Santos City. “I wasn?t able to spend my Christmas, New Year or my birthday [December 17] with them.”
According to the 55-year-old Dionesia, Manny, admittedly her favorite son, was an “ideal” boy since childhood, and he has never change despite his current fame and glory.
“I can?t say anything [bad] about Manny. Even when he was young, he was a good child, hardworking and obedient. He always helped out his brothers and sisters,” she said.
Manny said that before his bout with Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center, he called his father from his luxury suite at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. However, he said he did not get his boxing genes from Rosalio.
“I don?t think I inherited my skills. I?m probably a born boxer. My determination, my bravery, I think I was born with them too, just to become a boxer,” he said.
