GIVEN a choice, Manny Pacquiao would rather battle Marco Antonio Barrera next.
Not because he has already beaten the World Boxing Council super featherweight champion, but because he wants to shut up the Mexican legend for good.
Though thoroughly dominated by Pacquiao in their Nov. 15, 2003 tussle, where the Mexican?s corner threw in the towel in the 11th round in San Antonio, Texas, Barrera refuses to acknowledge Pacquiao?s superiority.
?Hindi n?ya inaamin na natalo ko s?ya (He doesn?t admit that I beat him),? said Pacquiao during a television interview yesterday. ?Pag siya ang nakalaban ko wala na s?yang dahilan pa (If I fight him he won?t have any more excuses).?
The WBC has mandated Barrera, 32, to defend his title against the winner of the Pacquiao-Erik Morales Grand Finale held on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas. With Pacquiao repeating over Morales via a three-round stoppage, he is the logical choice to challenge for the crown.
Negotiations may yet hit a snag, however, as there?s a raging dispute between Golden Boy Promotions of boxing superstar Oscar De La Hoya and Top Rank of legendary promoter Bob Arum over the rights to promote Pacquiao.
Top Rank insists the seven-fight promotional contract signed last October by Pacquiao with Golden Boy, where the Filipino got a $500,000 signing bonus, was invalid as it still holds the right to promote the Filipino ring icon.
Arum went further by announcing that Pacquiao had signed an even juicier four-year deal with Top Rank after the Filipino?s win over Morales. The new pact included a $1-million signing bonus.
But a co-promotion between De La Hoya and Arum push may be forged if the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch materializes in the United States early next year.
Pacquiao said another reason he is keen on fighting Barrera, an eight-time world champion and also a winner over Morales in their own trilogy, is that it would force him to go through the same intense preparation he did for Morales.
