AN earlier title match just might be a blessing in disguise, and should Manny Pacquiao hurdle it, his next fight could even make the Filipino boxer an even bigger star.
Pacquiao was originally scheduled to take on Juan Manuel Marquez, the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association featherweight champion, on May 22, but American cable network Home Box Office moved the title bout to May 8.
According to the boxing website fightnews.com, HBO executives said on Wednesday the decision to move the match two weeks earlier was because they were confident Pacquiao would be prepared and ready in time for the match.
Looking beyond the Pacquiao-Marquez contest, they said they are lining up Manny to fight newly-crowned World Boxing Council featherweight champion Erik Morales?in what the website described as ?career-defining? bout for the Filipino boxing hero.
