With Manny Pacquiao hinting at vacating his IBF 122-lb crown and a planned bout with Paulie Ayala or Juan Manuel Marquez being jeopardized by the recent FBI raid on Top Rank offices in New York, Oscar Larios could be the Filipino champion?s next foe.
After deciding to forgo his US trip this Thursday, Pacquiao has virtually vacated the IBF super bantamweight championship since failure to honor the boxing body?s order for his mandatory defense against Jose Luis Valbuena to a purse bid on Jan. 16 in New Jersey would mean the IBF will strip him of his crown.
Citing the recent raid by the FBI and the New York Police on Bob Arum?s Top Rank Promotions, which handles Ayala and Marquez, and the hospitalization of Pacquiao?s business manager Rod Nazario over the weekend, Team Pacquiao postponed its US jaunt where it was supposed to meet with US promoter Murad Muhammad, HBO bigwigs and Arum to discuss Pacquiao?s next fight.
