THE WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) has ruled that the winner of the Nov. 18 rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will have to face Marco Antonio Barrera next.
This order came from WBC President Jose Sulaiman during the third day of the WBC’s 44th annual convention in Dubrovnik in Croatia where the boxing chieftain mandated that in the event Pacquiao or Morales declines a bout with Barrera, another Mexican, Humberto Soto, will be tapped as replacement.
Pacquiao and Barrera are both promoted by Oscar dela Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) and has penciled a March 11, 2007 date for Barrera’s next fight possibly against the Filipino, assuming of course he gets past Morales in Las Vegas.
If Barrera’s script is to be followed, he prefers to face Pacquiao in a return meeting following the 11th round debacle he suffered against Pacquiao in Nov. 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.
Owing to the magnitude of the March 11 match, Barrera is making a supreme sacrifice.
The Mexican media reported yesterday that Barrera will begin his roadwork as early as next month as he prepares to get himself in terrific shape for training proper at a high-altitude facility in Big Bear, California, on January 15 where he plans to train for 45 days.
The report said Barrera met with his brother Jorge Barrera and adviser Roberto Diaz and mapped out the fighter’s itinerary in the next few months.
Barrera is coming off a clear-cut decision win over Rocky Juarez on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas and he publicly announced that he would like to be given the chance to get back at Pacquiao before he hangs up his gloves.
Barrera is no longer keen in slugging it out with Morales, who he has beaten twice in three fights, the last taking place in Nov. 2004.
Not only that, a fourth clash between Barrera and Morales would be difficult to stage since their respective promoters are the most bitter of enemies.
Morales fights under the banner of Bob Arum’s Top Rank and Dela Hoya, who used to fight under Arum, is foremost on Arum’s list of enemies in the fight game.
Arum has been widely quoted that Barrera’s list of recent victims is of low quality.
“Who’s he (Barrera) fought?” said Arum.
