LOS ANGELES ? Here?s good news for Manny Pacquiao?s legion of fans. The General Santos hitter will make a comeback fight in the next few months in a showdown that would earn him a chance at redemption against Mexican tormentor Eric Morales.
If Morales isn?t available, Pacquiao is going to clash with some other big-name opponent before the year comes to a close.
This was revealed by Pacquiao?s manager Shelly Finkel, who told The Bulletin at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas about the next few steps he is going to undertake to enable the Filipino lefty to get back into the radar screen.
“We will just let him (Manny) rest for a while then he?s going to be back in the summer and fall,”said Finkel.
Finkel, who also handles former undisputed world heavyweight king Mike Tyson, assumed the role of manager in February after the five-year contract of Pacquiao with Marty Elorde lapsed last Jan. 31.
Pacquiao lost a close but unanimous decision to Morales over the weekend before a Grand Garden Arena audience of 14,623 in a defeat that ended his incredible winning run dating back to late 1999.
The last time Pacquiao suffered a defeat was in Sept. 1999 when he was taken out with a single blow to the body by Medgoen 3K Battery in Nakhon Si Thamamrat, Thailand. He came into the fight wearing a pair of heavier gloves since he failed to make the flyweight limit of 112 lbs.
Finkel is being assisted by American lawyers Keith Davidson and Nick Khan.
Even though a rematch with Morales remains the first priority, a return meeting with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, who battled him to an equally thrilling draw last year, is also a possibility after a Top Rank official bared that Marquez is in the running.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao?s failed but memorable bid continues to be the topic of conversation in Las Vegas, especially in the Los Angeles area, where Pacquiao trains for his fights on American soil.
“My co-workers in the office are still talking about it until now,” said head nurse Katherine Robles, a graduate of St. Paul-Manila. “Manny has really caught the fancy of the Filipinos and Mexicans as well.”
Said computer buff Erik Estrada of Corona: “I hosted a party for my friends during the HBO telecast on Pay-Per-View and it was so good. I even wore a Manny Pacquiao shirt while the fight was being shown on TV.”
