Manny Pacquiao is not running away from a third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. But it will have to take some time before the bitter rivals can get it on once again.
But again, it?s not going to take four years for the two to face off for the rubber match, Manny Pacquiao told a pair of scribes yesterday after the newly-crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeatherweight king watched Gerry Pe?alosa?s successful defense of his world bantamweight crown at the Araneta Coliseum.
“No, not that long,” said Pacquiao, smiling when asked if the third fight will happen after four years, the time that lapsed before he and Marquez clashed following their much-talked about May 2004 split draw.
Last March 15 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Pacquiao defeated Marquez via split decision and moments after the decision was announced, his promotional outfit tendered a million offer for an immediate rematch.
Pacquiao, however, is looking at other options and tops on his priority right now is to prepare for a crack at David Diaz?s World Boxing Council lightweight crown on June 28 at Mandalay Bay with Top Rank as the lone promoter.
“He (Marquez) made me wait for four years so it?s my turn to let him feel what it felt like,” said Pacquiao.
The second meeting between the two had been booked for March 2005 but money matters prompted the promoter to abandon plans of staging it since Marquez was not willing to give the lion?s share of the money to Pacquiao.
“But I will not let him wait for four years,” said Pacquiao, who plans to report for training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in the first week of May.
Trainer Freddie Roach said Pacquiao is aware of the tough challenge in Diaz.
“Manny doesn?t enjoy fighting southpaws and he knows that at this level of 135 that fights this time are going to be tougher and tougher,” said Roach, who began training Pacquiao in mid-2001.
Roach said Diaz could pose big problems for Pacquiao since “the movement will be different in training for this kind of fight.”
“It?s not only that I will be getting lightweight sparring partners, but southpaw lightweight sparring partners,” said Roach, who returns to the US tonight to reunite with Bernard Hopkins.
