CEBUANOS may finally see Manny Pacquiao fight again in Cebu.
This after the People?s Featherweight Champion accepted boxing impresario Rex ?Wakee? Salud?s offer to fight here in Cebu come August.
?It might be a ?Thrilla in Cebu? or ?Yanig sa Cebu,?? Salud said. ?I?m not sure yet but for sure Manny will fight here.?
Pacquiao accepted Salud?s invitation to grace the ?Kadaugan sa Mactan II? promotion last Wednesday and Sun.Star Cebu was able to catch Pacquiao, his wife Jinkee and Salud at Waterfront Cebu City Hotel after the fight.
Thai partner
?I haven?t fought here (in Cebu) for quite a long time now. I?m thankful to sir Wakee for giving me a chance to fight here,? said Pacquiao.
Salud will put up the card together with Thai matchmaker Narong Hengtakul. Pacquaio talked of his ordeal in his fight against Morales but kept mum about his brush with promoter Murad Muhammad.
?Let?s just talk about boxing. They?ve been saying a lot of things against me but my lawyer told me to just be quiet,? said Pacquiao, who flew back to General Santos City yesterday morning.
Pacquiao?s lone fight in Cebu was on Sept. 13, 1997, when he beat veteran Melvin Magramo via a 10-round unanimous decision at the Cebu Coliseum. That was three months after he won the OPBF flyweight title over Chockchai Chockvivat by fifth-round KO in Mandaluyong.
Mexican opponent
Salud is looking to pit a Mexican against Pacquiao and plans to have the card at the Cebu City Sports Center, where security and crowd control are manageable.
Salud?s offer came just in time, as Pacquiao still has no plans for his next fight.
?We cannot pair Manny with any of the Asian fighters,? said Salud. ?You know how critical the Cebu crowd is. I am thinking of a Mexican fighter and probably bring the world?s attention to Cebu.?
Pacquiao will be back in Cebu next week, hoping to finalize the deal with Salud.
