Friday, January 05, 2007 WBA champ Valero wants Manny next
WORLD Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight champion Edwin Valero of Venezuela wants Manny Pacquiao to fight him so the Filipino ring icon can see what he’s made of.
Valero, who successfully defended his title after a first round TKO at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo last Wednesday against Mexican Michael Lozada, is calling on Pacquiao and his acknowledged promoter Bob Arum for a fight, with his belt at stake.
The undefeated Valero, who holds a ring record of 21-0, with 20 knockouts, of which 19 were within the first round, called Pacquiao a cab driver, shortly after the fight with Lozada that lasted only for 72 seconds.
Joke only
The Filipino ring sensation jokingly called Valero a tricycle driver in one of his press conferences, after he scored his second win over Eric Morales last Nov. 19.
Valero blasted Pacquiao for the comments several months ago.
"I want Manny (Pacquiao) next. I hope (Bob) Arum is listening. I don't want to hear (from) Manny a lot of excuses to fight me this time. If our fight will happen, he will realize that he too is a cab driver," said Valero as quoted by BoxingScene.com Arum, who had already proposed to fight Pacquiao against the Venezuelan champion, had included Valero among the nine-fighters presented to the General Santos City native ring idol for him to fight after a botched Pacquiao-Barrera rematch.
However, despite Valero’s appealing credentials, he is not considered among the big names in his division, after he was banned to fight in the US for failing a medical check up in New York.
Best fighters
Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar De La Hoya holds the best fighters in the featherweight and super-featherweight divisions, which include Barrera and another Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez.
In a related development, De La Hoya openly confirmed that he won’t include Pacquiao in the legal battle he is filing against Bob Arum and Top Rank Promotions.
“I didn't turn promoter to sue fighters. I turned promoter to help the sport of boxing. I turned promoter to help the fighters,” De La Hoya said, as carried at Philboxing.com.
Golden Boy sued Top Rank for “interference” of the seven-fight contract signed by Pacquiao and De La Hoya last September.
