MANILA, Philippines?Manny Pacquiao will no longer be a two-division champion by July 28.
And chances are, the Filipino superstar will relinquish his World Boxing Council super featherweight crown in favor of his newly won WBC lightweight title.
This developed after the WBC Board of Governors, headed by president Jose Sulaiman of Mexico, ordered Pacquiao to choose between his two championship belts on or before the said date.
After his impressive ninth-round demolition of former WBC lightweight champion David Diaz on June 28, Pacquiao indicated that he would prefer to stay in the 135-pound division rather than slip back to super featherweight.
Pacquiao feels stronger as a lightweight and said he had to starve himself to make weight and snatch the 130 lb championship from Juan Manuel Marquez on March 14 in Las Vegas.
Even celebrated trainer Freddie Roach believes Pacquiao?s body is still growing and it can no longer endure being squeezed back to 130 lb.
In another ruling, the WBC declared the Humberto Soto-Francisco Lorenzo bout in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Diaz tussle a ?no contest.?
The WBC also slapped a $2,000-fine on Lorenzo, of the Dominican Republic, for ?unethical and false pretenses.?
Soto was on the verge of knocking out Lorenzo in the fourth round when one of his blows landed at the back of Lorenzo?s head.
Bloodied and outclassed, Lorenzo pretended to be hurt and did not rise, prompting referee Joe Cortez to disqualify Soto after consulting with officials of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
This did not sit well with the WBC, which junked the ruling and ordered a thorough review of the fight tape.
Soto is being bruited about as Pacquiao?s likely opponent on Nov. 15 in the 135 lb division due to delays in Venezuelan Edwin Valero?s medical clearance to fight in Las Vegas.
Due to several cuts and the broken nose he sustained against Soto, Lorenzo will not be allowed to fight by the WBC until Dec. 26.
Meanwhile, the Nevada State Athletic Commission bared that the Pacquiao-Diaz showdown drew 9,630 paying patrons and raked in $3,350,730 at the gates. It also reportedly drew about 250,000 pay-per-view buys in the United States and Canada.
