Trainer Freddie Roach is flying in from Los Angeles to supervise Manny Pacquiao?s homestretch workouts two weeks before the consensus world featherweight boxing champion takes on Fahsan 3-K Battery of Thailand here on Dec. 11. New Jersey promoter Murad Muhammad said yesterday the fight details will be announced in a press conference next week.
Muhammad arrived last Oct. 16 to finalize negotiations with the event financiers whom he described as ?powerhouse businessmen.? He said he left behind important business matters in the US to make sure the future is carefully laid out for Pacquiao.
?Manny can?t take Fahsan lightly,? said Muhammad. ?He can?t afford to blow away the big bucks coming his way. I call Fahsan the Filipino Destroyer because he?s beaten every Filipino he?s fought and I count at least 20 victims. Look what happened to Mike Tyson and Roy Jones. They took their opponents lightly. Sometimes, things happen in threes. Manny can?t be the third after Tyson and Jones.?
Muhammad said he?s confirmed a Feb. 26 booking for Pacquiao to face International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Marquez in a Las Vegas rematch.
?After Manny knocks out Marquez, we?ll go for (Erik) Morales or (Marco Antonio) Barrera in July,? said Muhammad. ?Since coming to Manila, I?ve been on the phone with HBO (Home Box Office) senior vice president Kery Davis and I told him with God?s mercy, I?ll make Manila the next center of big-time boxing. Don King, Bob Arum and I are the top three boxing promoters in the world. King and Arum, however, don?t want to do extra work anymore. They?re rich and complacent. But I?m different. I look for new things to do.
I?m seeing a new world unfolding. There are lots of great fighters coming out of Asia, particularly the Philippines, fighters like Z Gorres and Manny?s brother Bobby. I want to showcase the talent and skills of Filipino fighters.?
Muhammad said talking with local aficionados has opened his eyes to the rich tradition of Philippine boxing. ?I?ve taken a crash course in Philippine sports history, going back to 40 years ago when Flash Elorde became a legend,? he continued. ?I want Manny to be a legend, too. It?s not just about fighting. It?s also about being a gentleman outside the ring. Elorde was a man of great character. That was his major asset. I hope Manny is remembered like Elorde years from now.?
Muhammad said he is ?elated? to be associated with Pacquiao?s business manager Rod Nazario. ?I have the highest respect for Pop,? Muhammad went on, using his nickname for Nazario. ?He?s a scholar, a loyal friend and a man of integrity. This couldn?t happen without Pop. I?m fortunate to be working with him in making this fight a reality.?
Muhammad cautioned Pacquiao to keep his feet on the ground in the peak of his career. ?Money is sometimes like wine in that it can make you drunk, it can get to your head,? he said. ?Manny?s got to keep his feet on the ground. With God?s wisdom, Manny will stay sober.?
The fight venue will be either an open-air field at the Fort in Global City or the Araneta Coliseum.
?Some of the country?s biggest players are involved in this project,? he said. ?We want to stage an event that?s unique. I think we?ll shock a lot of people when we announce the fight details in next week?s press conference.?
Muhammad, a devout Muslim, said he is religiously observing Ramadan which ends next month. ?My wife asked me why I?m observing Ramadan away from home but I told her I?m home because the Philippines is my second home,? said Muhammad. ?I fast from sunup to sundown and don?t do any extraordinary activity. I basically stay in my hotel room, read and meditate.?
