Hindi si Pacquiao kundi si Marquez ang nais ilaban ni Arum kay Valero

MANILA, Philippines - Hindi si Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao ang gustong ilaban ni Bob Arum ng Top Rank Promotions kay Venezuelan knockout artist Edwin Valero kundi si Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.

 Ito ay matapos talunin ni Valero si Colombian Antonio Pitalua via TKO sa 49 segundo ng second round para angkinin ang bakanteng World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title kahapon sa Frank Erwin Center sa University of Texas campus.

 Ang WBC lightweight belt ay dating hawak ni Mexican-American David Diaz bago siya pabagsakin ni Pacquiao sa ninth round noong Hunyo 28 ng 2008.

 Ito ay tuluyan nang binakante ni “Pacman” mula sa kanyang eight-round TKO kay Oscar Dela Hoya noong Dis-yembre 6 at ang pag-hahamon kay Briton world light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton sa Mayo 2.

 “He’s the best lightweight in the world,” ani Arum kay Valero. “Anyone who is willing to fight him, we’ll accept the challenge. I’d love for Juan Manuel Marquez to step to the plate but he’s a whiner. I don’t think he’ll go in with a guy like this.”

 Bago si Diaz, inagawan muna ni Pacquiao ng WBC super featherweight crown si Marquez via split decision noong Marso 16 ng 2008.

“Jorge Linares maybe. We’ll look around for an opponent. Manny Pacquiao, if everything goes well against Ricky Hatton on May 2, would be great. But we want to build Valero up more so the public knows him better,” wika ni Arum sa kanyang plano kay Valero.

 May 25-0-0 win-loss-draw ring record ngayon si Valero kasama ang 25 KOs, habang may 46-4 (40 KOs) naman ang 39-anyos na si Pitalua.

 “This is the beginning of big things,” ani Valero, unang pagkakataon na nakalaban sa labas ng Texas matapos noong 2003. “No man can take my punch.” (Russell Cadayona)