Is there something going on that Bob Arum defers naming Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent?
After Pacquiao said last Saturday in New York that he’s ready to rumble with Mexico’s Humberto Soto, the legendary promoter from Top Rank pulled the reins on the Filipino superstar.
“On Pacman, we’re going to wait on naming the opponent,” said Arum after the explosive Zab Judah-Miguel Cotto card at the historic Madison Square Garden.
In the undercard, the 26-year-old Soto brought Pacquiao’s younger brother, Bobby Pacquiao, down on his knees en route to a seventh-round knockout.
Then the rising star from Tijuana called out Pacquiao’s name, and the latter wasted no time accepting the challenge, vowing to avenge his brother’s painful loss.
A lot of people had expected Arum to name Pacquiao’s next opponent during the post-fight press conference with the stars pointing to a Pacquiao-Soto match in September or October.
But no announcement came. Instead, Arum, according to boxingconfidential.com, said “we won’t name the guy until the site deal is finalized.”
The top choice as fight venue is Vancouver, British Columbia where a large Pinoy community of 140,000 can easily pack the venue – from ringside all the way to the parking lot.
It was also reported that the point man in Vancouver, Geoffrey Hughes, is “serious” about staging a Pacquiao fight in the city regardless of who the opponent is.
Arum is probably making sure about the prospects of a Vancouver fight, unlike what happened early this year when a planned Pacquiao-In Jinchi bout in Macau was scrapped nearing zero hour.
A recent report said Top Rank and Golden Boy, fighting it over the promotional rights to Pacquiao, will hold a settlement conference before a Los Angeles judge in two weeks.
Golden Boy is the promoter of reigning WBA champion Juan Manuel Marquez and former champion Marco Antonio Barrera, and a settlement with Top Rank might just open some windows.
Pacquiao and Arum reportedly met with trainer Freddie Roach and ring adviser Mike Koncz at a hotel room Saturday to discuss the next fight for the super-featherweight star.
In the meeting, boxingconfidential.com added, Pacquiao was told by Roach and Koncz that Joan Guzman, the candidate next to Soto, may pose a big problem with his “fast feet and faster hands.”
Guzman, the reigning WBO super-featherweight champion from the Dominican Republic, is undefeated in 27 fights while Soto has lost five times in 49 bouts.
Whether it’s Soto, Guzman or someone else, Vancouver, Las Vegas or somewhere else, Arum knows how to keep Pacquiao fans waiting.
