MANNY PACQUIAO has no plans of slowing down. Exactly a week after scoring the most memorable win of his storied career, the celebrated Filipino fighter yesterday vowed to continue terrorizing the super-featherweight division.
“As long as they are still active, I will not stop (fighting),” said Pacquiao, referring to Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
Morales and Barrera remain the hottest commodities in the division despite losses to Pacquiao.
“I am still motivated. Ganado pa rin akong lumaban,” said Pacquiao, who brutally stopped Morales in the 10th round of a slambang at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas,
While the identity, venue and date of Pacquiao’s next fight still hangs in the air, the 27-year-old Gen-San pride belied claims that he has lost his drive.
“Hindi ah,” Pacquiao said with conviction. “Tingnan ninyo ang susunod kong laban.”
A fight in Manila is being targeted next for Pacquiao with HBO reportedly keen on coming over to the country and beam the fight to the US.
But while everything remains in the planning stage, Pacquiao can afford to sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor even if throngs of admirers continue to hound him at his blue-chip suite at the 15th floor of the Hyatt Hotel and Casino.
Pacquiao hardly gets a rest as he signs autographs, poses for pictures and exchanges pleasantries with admirers.
“Talagang masaya ako sa ipinapakitang pagmamahal sa akin ng mga tao,” said Pacquiao, who heads to Gen Santos City this morning for a one-week vacation.
After spending some time with his family, Pacquiao will fly to Japan to watch two Orient-Pacific Boxing Federation title fights involving superfeather Randy Suico and bantam Malcolm Tunacao, who are both staking their crowns.
He will be joined there by close associate Wakee Salud.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao clarified that he is not collecting million as share from the income generated by his pay-per-view match with Morales.
Reacting to a report (not in the Bulletin) that he stands to receive over R300 million as share, Pacquiao said he will only get “at least 0,000 or a maximum of million.”
Pacquiao was guaranteed a 40 percent cut from the PPV sales and it did not mean that he would get million from the total of ,732,000. Morales is assured of a 60 percent share.
“The computation is not as simple as that,” said Pacquiao, declining to disclose the details of how he was able to arrive at that figure (0,000 to million).
The promoter Top Rank and the presentor, HBO, will get the lion’s share of the PPV earnings.
In knocking out Morales for the first time in his career, Pacquiao got million.
