Tuesday, April 10, 2007 Pacquiao hits San Antonio By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
MANNY Pacquiao on Sunday landed in San Antonio, the site of his sensational and career-defining knockout triumph over Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera back in 2003.
The Filipino punching machine is on another mission the reason why he is in Texas: beat an undefeated and another Mexican boxer in Jorge Solis.
Pacquiao and his entourage were met by around 200 San Antonio residents upon their arrival at the airport and were serenaded by mariachis, according to Fightnews.com.
Texas State Representative Joe Farias led the welcoming party. Farias also presented Pacquiao with a sombrero on behalf of the residents of San Antonio and wished the boxer good luck.
Pacquiao and Solis will trade punches on April 14 (April 15 in Manila) in a 12-round super featherweight showdown at the Alamodome.
It was also in Alamodome where Pacquiao destroyed Barrera via an 11th round TKO in November of 2003.
The victory that stunned the boxing world bolstered Pacquiao's status at the time and he followed this up with a series of huge wins, including two against future Hall of Famer Erik Morales.
The business at hand this time will be Solis, an undefeated but unknown Mexican fighter who, despite Pacquiao having sized him up during a meeting in Los Angeles days ago, remains a mysterious rival.
Aside from being undefeated in his pro career, Solis is described to be a technical and smart boxer inside the ring.
But, with his record and skills, Jorge remains a mysterious foe for Pacquiao when the two protagonists collide comes fight night.
Thirty-two wins, no loss, two draws with 23 KOs and standing at 5-foot-8, Solis looks very impressive indeed and formidable, but the fact that he has not beaten a prominent boxer makes the Mexican a household name only to his household.
Plus, the fact that he has been training in the mountains of Otomi in Mexico, away from the prying eyes of the media, specially the Filipino press, Solis continues to be a mystery.
A couple of weeks back, Solis was even more intriguing when he failed to show up during a scheduled press conference in Los Angeles to promote his coming fight with Pacquiao.
It is up to Pacquiao to solve the riddle come fight time.
The Filipino southpaw, himself carrying an equally impressive record of 43-3-2 with 33 KOs, has the tools to solve the puzzle.
His vaunted straight lefts and thundering right hooks are all Pacquiao need to showcase and unlock the big secret that is Solis.
