Now that the smoke from the Humberto Soto-Bobby Pacquiao fight has settled with the talented Mexican stopping Pacbob in 7 rounds, the stage is set for Manny Pacquiao’s next fight. Or so Bob Arum hopes.
Manny himself has come out with fangs bared, itching to avenge his younger brother’s defeat. All in tune with the Wagnerian overture which Arum painstakingly composed and conducted. But the audience is a little annoyed at the flat melody that has been rehashed over and over that even the blind man with the guitar and harmonica refuses to play it.
The truth is, we’ve all heard this and know why it is being peddled to us. Arum had to make Soto more appealing and credible as an opponent to Manny, especially after the best he could come up with after the Morales fight was the hapless Jorge Solis.
Not that Soto is a patsy, because he is a legitimate contender in the superfeatherweight division and is respected for his talent and strength.
But faithful Pacquiao watchers are all aching to see their idol match fists again with either Marco Antonio Barrera or Juan Manuel Marquez.
Not only are the latter the more interesting match-ups for Manny but also the ones that would bring in the warm bodies and the pay-per-view buys. After all, they keep saying boxing is business and this is definitely the better marketing product.
Of course the problem becomes rather complicated when faced with the reality that Barrera and Marquez are under the Golden Boy outfit of Oscar De La Hoya, not exactly the apple of Arum’s eye these days.
At this writing, Pacquiao’s deposition was being taken by lawyers to get his version of the circumstances that led to the ongoing acrimonious legal battle between the two well-known promoters.
It would be interesting to know how Manny explained away his having signed two divergent promotional contracts; the first with Golden Boy and the second with Arum and why he decided to honor the latter.
Even more interesting is how Manny’s immediate future will pan out if indeed the initial reports from California are accurate that Arum is now looking at a settlement with De La Hoya. This is an indication that the pendulum may be swinging in favor of Golden Boy and Arum is scrambling to salvage what he can.
Should the case turn out in favor of De La Hoya, then the possibility of a Pacquiao-Barrera or a Pacquiao-Marquez looms.
Unfortunately, contrary to our impression, the justice system in America is not always swift. The case arose during the third Pacquiao-Morales fight 7 months ago. From the looks of it, it hasn’t moved beyond the preliminary stage.
Perhaps the American barristers have learned a thing or two on how to prolong a case from our lawyers?
As a matter of fact, there is reportedly a mediation (much like our barangay procedure, I surmise) this weekend in Los Angeles where the two contending parties will appear before a retired judge to try to resolve their differences. In the event that fails, only then will the case be elevated to the courts.
Of course, if Arum is indeed calling for a settlement and one is reached, the chances for another big fight for Manny would be enhanced.
There will be no more call for an easier fight for Pacquiao since he already had that the last time against Solis. Although Soto is no pushover, he has been marked as a high-risk, low reward proposition. The only reason Soto is being touted is because he presents a winwin situation for Arum.
The clamor is for Pacquiao to fight either Barrera or Marquez, or better yet, one after the other. This should keep the Filipino idol in the main international radar of boxing and earn for him the mega bucks he deserves.
Unless someone has surreptitiously sneaked in another contract under Manny’s nose and…oh my word…please, no!
