DON’T COUNT Marco Antonio Barrera out of the picture for a possible rematch with Manny Pacquiao this year.
Although another Mexican fighter, Humberto Soto, is being considered as Pacquiao’s next opponent, Barrera remains in the hunt for a lucrative match with the 28-year-old GenSan fighter.
Pacquiao’s bout with Soto is tentatively set on Oct. 6 in Vancouver, Canada.
“If it’s Soto (fights Pacquiao) it’s in Vancouver, but if it’s Barrera, it’s going to be in Las Vegas,” said somebody who is privy to the on-going mediation involving Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions.
Pacquiao also confirmed that Barrera still remains in the equation.
“It’s likely that I will fight Soto, but there is still a chance that I might face Barrera. He could still end up getting the fight,” said Pacquiao, who has an ax to grind against the two Mexican punchers.
Soto, 27, is the same fighter who pummelled Pacquiao’s younger brother, Bobby, into submission in a recent bout in New York.
Barrera also got under Pacquiao’s skin when he told the media that he wasn’t mentally prepared on that November night in 2003 in San Antonio when he lost via knockout.
A retired judge is handling the court-ordered mediation in Los Angeles and he is working on the possibility of a compromise agreement between the warring promotional outfits.
The mediation is looking at the possibility of Top Rank and GBP “co-promoting” a Pacquiao-Barrera rematch and since the two have been spending some precious time in round-table discussions the past few days, there is that likelihood of seeing the two groups reaching an accord.
“Nothing is signed yet as of this time and nothing is set,” added the source.
Soto is promoted by Top Rank like Pacquiao, while Barrera is under GBP, thus making it difficult for a Pacquiao-Barrera rematch to become a reality.
