PACMAN NOT CHASING BARRERA!

GENERAL Santos City -- Filipino boxing superstar Manny "PacMan"

Pacquiao said yesterday that he is not chasing WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera, who is now set to fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on March 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"No way! Hindi ako naghahabol kay Barrera kasi tinalo ko na siya noon," said Pacquiao.

Golden Boy promotions CEO Richard Schaefer had finalized already the Barrera-Marquez fight after the deadline on Pacquiao to make his decision on whether to fight Barrera or not.

Schaefer had earlier made an offer to Pacquiao for a rematch with Barrera on a fifty-fifty split.

"I'm not ready for March. Sa April pa ako puede. Walang problema sa akin kung hindi kami maglaban ni Barrera. Kung sila Barrera at Marquez ang maglalaban ay wala naman silang malalaking premyo," Pacquiao said.

With the recent development, the Filipino southpaw said that he will now most likely next fight on April 28 in Macau against a still unnamed opponent.

"Puede pa naman akong lumaban. May lima kaming pinipilian sa ngayon," said Pacquiao, who was voted as The Ring's 2006 Fighter of the Year.

Since The Ring originated the award in 1928, only six fighters below the lightweight division?Henry Armstrong (1937), Willie Pep (?45), Carlos Zarate (?77), Salvador Sanchez (?81), Michael Carbajal (?93), Paulie Ayala (?99)?have been previously selected for the magazine?s top honor. Pacquiao is number seven.

"Masang-masaya ako sa dahil ako ang pinili nila. Nagpapasalamat ako ng marami sa lahat ng bomoto sa akin," said Pacquiao, who said he will start training in February here.

Meanwhile, Canadian boxing agent Michael Konz, who has been sleeping at the mansion of Pacquiao since last month said that one of the probable opponents could be sensational knockout artist Venezuelan southpaw Edwin Valero.

"I know already earlier that the Pacquiao-Barrera fight will not pushed through. I don't care," bragged Koncz, who plans to go home next week to the United States.

Valero has a ring record of 21-0 with 21 KOs with his first 18 bouts finished in the opening round. The hard-hitting southpaw had captured the WBA throne by impressively halting Vicente Mosquera in ten furious see-saw rounds in Panama last August, and was impressive in another first-round demolition over Mexican Michael Lozada in Tokyo yesterday.