JORGE SOLIS, an undefeated 27-year-old righthander from Guadalajara, Mexico, is being eyed to face Manny Pacquiao on April 21 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
This was disclosed yesterday by a Team Pacquiao insider who refused to be identified since he?s not allowed to talk about the ongoing negotiations.
Ranked second by the World Boxing Council in the featherweight class of 126 lbs, Solis sports a 32-0-2 win-loss-draw card with 23 knockouts and lives up to an earlier report that Top Rank will sign up a tough slugger for Pacquiao?s first fight in 2007.
Nicknamed ?Coloradito,? Solis turned professional in Feb. 1998 and is coming off a fifth-round-knockout victory over Fernando Lizarraga on Jan. 25 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas.
“Top Rank is going to reveal his name to the American press tomorrow (today),” said the same source.
According to noted fight scribe Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, Solis is a “top featherweight” fighter.
While he has fought extensively on Mexican soil, Solis fought 11 times in the US, including a three-round no-contest with Humberto Soto.
Soto is the same puncher who is also being groomed to face Pacquiao in the future.
Solis is also trained by Jose Reynoso, the same man who works the corner of one-time Pacquiao victim, Oscar Larios.
Filipino super-bantam Bernabe Concepcion, who had an auspicious US debut late last year, will also be added in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Solis showdown.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao said he will go after the mayoralty of General Santos City although he has yet to file his certificate of candidacy.
“Wala na itong atrasan,” said Pacquiao from his home in GenSan.
“Parang boksing ito, hindi ko basta na lamang aatrasan.”
Pacquiao will be up against incumbent mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., who is a wedding godparent of the boxer. Pacquiao said he will report to the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood for training late this month.
