Like the Pied Piper, Manny Pacquiao is showing the way for superfeatherweights to invade the 135-pound division as wherever he goes, the money follows.
Pacquiao, who won the WBC 130-pound title from Juan Manuel Marquez last March, will challenge WBC lightweight champion David Diaz at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday (Sunday morning, Manila).
Marquez is also moving up to face interim WBO lightweight titlist Joel Casamayor, tentatively on Sept. 13, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. WBO superfeatherweight ruler Joan Guzman is joining the invasion, too, and will likely take on IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell, possibly on Aug. 9.
Former WBC superfeatherweight titleholder Erik Morales will make a comeback next year and pursue the lightweight crown. Another former WBC superfeatherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera is set to return to the ring on Sept. 13 in Mexico and will probably test the lightweight waters in hoping to land a third bout against Pacquiao.
Even Humberto Soto, who fights Francisco Lorenzo for the interim WBC superfeatherweight title in the Pacquiao-Diaz undercard this weekend, will jump to lightweight in a heartbeat for the chance to meet the Filipino icon. That goes for WBA superfeatherweight champion Edwin Valero.
?Everybody wants to fight Manny,? said Pacquiao?s Canadian adviser Michael Koncz the other day. ?They all know Manny is the ticket to big bucks. But Manny?s not looking past Diaz. He knows Diaz is a tough opponent. Manny?s next fight depends on how he does against Diaz. There are a lot of options out there.?
Koncz said if Pacquiao scores a knockout in the early rounds and is hardly threatened, he will look to fight again sooner than later. If the bout goes the distance, he?ll probably consider a date in the first week of November.
?Manny has gotten a lot of feelers,? continued Koncz. ?No serious negotiations yet for Manny?s next fight. Obviously, we?ll evaluate what the options are depending on the outcome of this weekend?s fight. We know Soto, Valero and down the line, Ricky Hatton are possible opponents.?
With Pacquiao?s entry in the lightweight sweepstakes, the division is suddenly the most exciting in world boxing. Pacquiao was recently installed the world?s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter after Floyd Mayweather?s retirement and has become the target of every gunslinger within striking distance of the weight category. Pacquiao leaves a money trail that puts millions of dollars in the bank.
Marquez is begging for a third fight against Pacquiao but must survive Casamayor to remain in contention.
?Marquez? problem is he won?t get a payday from Casamayor anywhere near what he got for fighting Manny,? said a source. ?Marquez and Casamayor are both counterpunchers. Their fight will be boring. Besides, Casamayor is a 36-year-old veteran who just grabs and holds. Nobody sees that fight making big pay-per-view sales.?
Other lightweights in line for Pacquiao are former champions Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis. A plan for a Diaz-Katsidis bout in September was put on hold when the Australian, who sent Filipino Czar Amonsot to the hospital last year, wanted a bigger purse.
