Monday, July 02, 2007 Flexing for the dangerous Mexican By Rommel C. Manlosa Sun.Star Staff Reporter
WITH all the lawsuits in the bin, Filipino junior lightweight superstar Manny Pacquiao is all set for tuning up for a cash-raking fight ahead.
Pacquiao is set to leave the Philippines for the US this week to start training at the Wild Card Gym for his Oct. 6 fight against Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Manny is set to leave this week to start his training,” said Pacquiao’s confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud. “Freddie (Roach) believes that Barrera is still very dangerous, as dangerous as when they first met in 2003.”
Focus
Undistracted, Pacquiao can now set his mind on his training for a big money fight because reportedly he could earn between $6 million to $10 million in purse prize alone.
For now, there is no report of endorsement offers for Pacquiao.
This doesn’t include Pacquiao’s share from the pay-per-view buys and the television rights for airing it in the country.
Pacquiao scored a technical knockout over Barrera back in November 2003, and that fight hoisted him into stardom and raked for him whooping millions of pesos in product endorsements.
Described as the most exciting boxer in the world today, Pacquiao now commands a huge prize-money more than what world champions could get.
Prize money
Barrera will reportedly receive $3.5million for this fight, his last, according to the Mexican boxer, before hanging his gloves for good.
Both the Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Inc. will co-promote this fight after signing the peace accord yesterday that ended the long standing rift between Bob Arum and Oscar dela Hoya.
And with the “unity” pact, Pacquiao can expect better fights in the future as GBP has marquee fighters like WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, WBO champion Joan Guzman of Dominican Republic, who is co-promoted by the Sycuan Promotions, and WBA titlist Edwin Valero of Venezuela, who is promoted by Japanese impresario Akihiko Honda, a close friend of dela Hoya.
In the next three years, Pacquiao is expected to earn as much as billion pesos.
