And so Manny Pacquiao is off to California. In January, that is, when he begins training for his reported rematch with Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez in late February.
But flights to Hollywood don?t guarantee a fight anymore.
Pacquiao realized that a few months back when he flew to the US with the face of his future opponent still a fat question mark.
Pacquiao will have a plane ticket ready for his January preparation no doubt. And by the way his amiable trainer, Freddie Roach, sounded late last week, the two even seem to have calendared a game plan already that would make sure the reported February 26 encore with Marquez doesn?t end up in a draw the way its May 8 prequel did.
But even calendars and schedules don?t guarantee anything anymore.
Prior to the Pacquiao-Marquez fight last May, it had been said that Erik Morales would be Pacquiao?s next foe two months after in July. But nothing really happened there.
Instead, it was going to be an immediate Pacquiao-Marquez follow-up supposedly set for last September. And that rematch got screwed too.
Even Marco Antonio Barrera?s name crawled into the picture; a November play date against him was said to have been sealed. That didn?t push through either.
By the time a Scotsman and another fighter with West Indies descent were mentioned, Pacquiao? as was the rest of the country following the news?was obviously trapped in a vicious musical-chairs sequence, our countryman the one always left without an empty seat.
Weeks before Pacquiao?s match late Saturday night?an obvious mismatch?a handful of people wanted to give that weekend fight a chance. And their reasons for wanting to were valid.
This is the first time in a long while that Filipinos were going to see Pacquiao?since being elevated to ?national-treasure? status?fight in the flesh. And Saturday night was long overdue for Pacquiao?s legions of fans.
This is also a time when nobody wanted to face Pacquiao. And on Saturday night, he ended up facing an unheralded opponent simply because?as some boxing fans cannot help overemphasizing?Pacquiao?s reputation had stalked fear in the 126-lb realm.
It was Roach, however?in all his quiet, unassuming demeanor?who articulated it best; the one important reason Pacquiao needed to get on the ring Saturday, he said, was it kept him training.
Forget the apparent mismatch, he seemed to say, Pacquiao?s appearance in the weekend kept the champ?s competitive juices flowing.
So now that the Great Thai Hype known as ?the Thai Destroyer? has been dusted off, what?s next for Pacquiao? Certainly, one of the Mexicans.Now that Pacquiao?s competitive juices are flowing, what?s next?
The answer must be easy: the head of Marquez, one-third of the Mexican Holy Trinity of the featherweight division, on February 26 because that was what?s at stake last Saturday, wasn?t it? A shot at Marquez?s International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight belt.
But, as machinations in and around the boxing world would prove?and the runaround Pacquiao had to endure that caused 217 days of inactivity?even an IBF No. 1 contender status doesn?t guarantee anything anymore.
Granting the sequel to Pacquiao-Marquez is ironed out?in the same way people were asked to give the December 11 fight the benefit of the doubt?what should be done if it doesn?t materialize nonetheless? What if Pacquiao is subjected to another round of musical chairs?
Pacquiao has done his part: he kept to himself the frustration of not getting on the ring with a Mexican, took his Thai foe out the way he was supposed to on Saturday, and made the fans and sponsors happy.
Roach has certainly done his part, as did the rest of the US-based members of the Pacquiao posse?special kudos to cutman Lenny de Jesus?flying here all the way from the US to make sure their man doesn?t slip.
Murad Muhammad, Pacquiao?s US-based promoter whose contract reportedly ends on February, has done his part?but the thing is his job is unlike the others; it doesn?t stop when the bell rings.
To have Pacquiao flying to LA to train is good. To have the IBF sanctioning Saturday?s fight is good. To declare a date and an opponent is good.
If February 26 actually pushes through, now wouldn?t that be better? If it doesn?t? Well, call it defamation of a national treasure.
If the Marquez bout doesn?t push through, Pacquiao will have to make sure he isn?t the only one left standing when the music stops.
