US cable television giant Home Box Office is definitely out of the picture for Manny Pacquiao’s next fight, allowing the Filipino boxing icon to choose any opponent he wants for his next assignment here in the country, his trainer Freddie Roach said Tuesday.
Pacquiao will certainly fight in front of his countrymen because local broadcasting giant ABS-CBN has come up with a “huge offer” that beat HBO’s tender to cover his next fight sometime in June or July at the Araneta Coliseum, Roach told boxingtalk.com.
“HBO decided not to go over [to the Philippines] because of the government issues there, but I have people telling me, ‘Freddie, it’s no big deal, it happens over here all of the time,” the American trainer told Brad Cooney of the website, the last part jokingly.
“What are you going to do, you can’t force HBO to go. It’s too bad though, it would have been nice to see Manny fight in the same building as the classic ‘Thrilla in Manila,’” Roach added.
Pacquiao was supposed to face Oscar Larios at the Big Dome on June 25, but the Mexican backed out of traveling to Manila to face the power-punching southpaw, citing last month’s failed coup to overthrow President Arroyo.
Larios is actually setting up a rematch with Israel Vasquez, who also trains under Roach, for the World Boxing Council super bantamweight title. “Chololo” lost the crown to his compatriot last December 3, when he was knocked out in the third round at Las Vegas.
“Larios doesn’t want to go to the Philippines, but we (Team Pacquiao) are going to fight in the Philippines next,” the one-time Trainer of the Year said. “Manny wants to do this, it’s very important for him to fight in the Philippines next.”
To prevent Pacquiao from being distracted while training for his fight on home ground, Roach said he would “take Manny up into the mountains,” adding that he wants the fight in the Philippines also for the sake of the fans of “PacMan.”
“To the Philippine fans, you have the greatest 130-pound fighter in the world today,” the trainer told boxingtalk.com. “I very much look forward to coming to the Philippines to see my friends soon.”
Roach also added that according to the American promoter Bob Arum, Erik Morales has formally accepted a third match with Pacquiao slated for September 16, or nearly eight months after “The People’s Champion” dealt the Mexican great the first knockout loss of his career in the 10th round of their bout at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
“I haven’t heard it directly from Erik Morales… [but] it’s in the contract to give the guy his rematch if he wants it. Erik deserves a rematch if he wants it, and according to Bob Arum he does,” he said.
As for Marco Antonio Barrera’s recent dare to Pacquiao to accept being the No. 1 contender to his World Boxing Council super featherweight crown, Roach jokingly said that maybe the Mexican champion “wants to come to the Philippines.”
But he added that the “Baby-Faced Assassin” deserves a rematch with Pacquiao, whose rise to boxing stardom began on November 15, 2003 when he stopped Barrera in the 11th round of their nontitle fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
“We respect Barrera, he gave Manny his shot, and we will give him his shot at a rematch,” said Roach, who is currently training James Toney for his fight against Hasim Rahman on Saturday for the WBC heavyweight championship.
