A new name has surfaced in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes. The latest to join the derby is European superfeatherweight champion Alex Arthur who was mentioned the other day as a candidate in the search for Pacquiao’s next opponent.
Michael Koncz, one of Pacquiao’s boxing advisers, said the Scot may be tapped to face Pacquiao in Vancouver on Oct. 6 in case the rematch against Marco Antonio Barrera doesn’t materialize because of legal differences between rival promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy.
Another candidate for the Vancouver fight is WBO titlist Joan (Little Tyson) Guzman of the Dominican Republic.
It makes sense to bring in someone from the UK to Vancouver. Arthur will be cheered by Commonwealth compatriots while Pacquiao’s support will come from the sizable Filipino community in the Canadian city.
Koncz said the Vancouver promoters are leaving it up to Pacquiao to choose his opponent. “They have no preference,” said Koncz. “They’re not mandating an opponent.”
Koncz said trainer Freddie Roach was consulted on the possibility of bringing in Arthur and had no objections. Reading between the lines, the insinuation is neither Guzman nor Arthur will threaten Pacquiao. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be anybody out there in the 130-pound horizon at the moment with a betting chance to upset Pacquiao. And that includes WBC champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
So in Roach’s mind, it doesn’t much matter whom Pacquiao fights. They’ll end up the same way – horizontal on the canvas.
Arthur, 28, is an interesting proposition. He’s tall and rangy. He stands 5-9 and has a 24-1 record, with 18 KOs including six in the first round. Four years ago, he went down thrice in losing to Michael Gomez on a fifth round stoppage. Arthur has since won eight in a row.
Arthur is scheduled to meet Koba Gogladze for the interim WBO crown in Cardiff on July 7. Guzman backed out of a May 26 fight against Australia’s WBO interim lightweight champion Michael Katsidis after injuring his left hand in training and hasn’t staked his crown since last December, prompting an interim championship fight. It’s not certain if Arthur will push through with the bout against Gogladze if he is chosen and agrees to fight Pacquiao.
Arthur, whose nickname is “Amazing,” has monopolized the lightly-regarded “intercontinental” superfeatherweight titles of the WBO, WBA and IBF. He was the Commonwealth and British champion before annexing the European throne.
Arthur’s style is reminiscent of former world lightweight champion Ken Buchanan’s. Brian Doogan, writing in The Ring Magazine, said Arthur’s trademarks are a fluid style, an authoritative jab and clever combination punching.
“Alex will be a world champion one day,” said Buchanan. “He’s a nice lad, a good trainer, eats and sleeps it and has the ability to achieve his ambitions.”
Arthur’s father Alex, Sr. served a three-year sentence for his involvement in a steetbrawl that led to the death of an adversary and wasn’t around to prevent his son from taking up boxing as a boy. The father never wanted his son to become a fighter. But Arthur’s mother Corinne, a competitive swimmer, encouraged the boy to live his dream.
“Boxing is all I’ve really known,” said Arthur. “I’ve never had a job in my life. I’ve never worked. I’ve never done anything other than box. Getting out of bed in the morning for most people is just like me and boxing. It’s what I do, it comes naturally and it’s the only thing I’ve ever been driven toward.”
As a teenager, Arthur joined the Leith Victoria Boxing Club in Edinburgh and worked his way up. In 1998, he won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
In a way, Arthur is similar to Pacquiao because they both leave their fate in the ring in God’s hands.
“I’m a Christian and I believe God has given me this gift to use properly and that’s what I’m doing,” said Arthur. “I never ask God to win a fight, only to let me go in and come back out safe, let my hands be healthy, let my head be healthy, don’t let me tire, don’t let me hurt my opponent, don’t let my opponent hurt me and let me fight to the best of my ability.”
