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THE
American promoter of Manny Pacquiao has formally started
negotiations for the Filipino boxing sensation’s next
fight against Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero on
November 8 again in the United States.
 In
an interview with the daily morning radio show Sports
Chat, Top Rank Inc. big boss Bob Arum said he
already met Valero’s Japanese promoter, Akihiko Honda,
Tuesday and discussed concrete matters about the bout.
“We
pretty much reached an agreement and would be drawing up
an agreement very shortly and hope to announce the fight
in a few weeks. But everything is a go,” said Arum in
the show aired over dzSR 918khz.
Valero
is currently banned to fight in the United States,
particularly in Las Vegas, after he figured in a
motorcycle accident in 2001 that required surgery to
remove blood clots in his brain.
But Arum
said everything is being worked out for Valero to get a
license in Las Vegas, especially because he was recently
granted a license to fight in Texas.
A
precedent favors Valero in his bid to fight in Las
Vegas. Pacquiao fought Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in
their first face-off in November 2003. Barrera then was
suspended from fighting in Las Vegas after his former
manager revealed that the former three-division world
champion underwent brain operation several years back.
That
forced promoters to stage the Barrera-Pacquiao fight in
San Antonio, Texas, where the Mexican was granted a
license after submitting pertinent medical documents
that cleared his state of health. Barrera lost to
Pacquiao via an 11th-round technical knockout.
Eventually, Barrera was allowed to fight in Las Vegas,
where he fought bitter compatriot Erik Morales for a
third time and Pacquiao in a rematch.
Although
fans of Pacquiao are now clamoring for a fight with
British superstar Ricky Hatton, Arum believes a great
time to stage that much-anticipated bout would be early
next year.
Arum
believes Valero poses a major threat, especially against
an ill-prepared Pacquiao.
“I don’t
know whether it will be Manny’s most difficult fight
but, certainly, it will be his most dangerous fight. He
[Valero] is dangerous as hell,” said Arum.
The
26-year-old Valero positioned himself as an acceptable
foe for Pacquiao after he won the World Boxing
Association super-featherweight crown via a 10th-round
TKO over Panamanian Vicente Mosquera in August 2006 in
Panama City.
Before
that, Valero created some noise as a potential Pacquiao
challenger when he ran a streak of 19 first-round
knockout wins. He currently parades a perfect 24-0, all
by knockouts.
Valero,
also a southpaw like Pacquiao, has defended his 130-lb
crown four times.
The
29-year-old Pacquiao got his fourth world champion when
he stopped a tough but outclassed David Diaz inside nine
rounds last weekend at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in
Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao,
who snatched the World Boxing Council lightweight tiara
from Diaz, is expected to be back in the country this
weekend. |
