Stake higher for Manny, Arnel

More than prestige and a fringe title are at stake when Manny Pacquiao clashes with Sydney-based Arnel Barotillo on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Both fighters are looking at the bout as a stepping stone for a crack at the World Boxing Council super bantamweight crown soon to be relinquished by the unbeaten Erik Morales of Mexico.

"We need this fight very badly," Pacquiao's business manager Rod Nazario told the PSA Sports Forum at the Holiday Inn yesterday morning.

"Right now, Pacquiao is ranked No. 6 by the WBC. If we win this fight, he could climb to No. 2. Whoever will be the No. 1 challenger after Morales gives up the crown, we'll make him an offer to fight Manny for the world title," Nazario added.

After surviving a tough challenge from Marco Barrera in Las Vegas two weeks ago, Morales, who has been having difficulty making the 122-pound weight limit, is reportedly negotiating for a showdown with flamboyant World Boxing Organization featherweight champion Nassem Hamed.

Which raises the stake even higher in Saturday's clash where Pacquiao will be defending the WBC international super bantamweight championship he had wrested from Reynante Jamili last December.

"Magaling. Maraming alam na galaw at suntok," Pacquiao said of the Catanduanes-born Barotillo. "Dapat mag-ingat sa kaliwa niya, yun ang kanyang pamatay."

Speaking in the weekly program sponsored by Red Bull, Agfa Color and McDonald's, promoter Bebot Elorde predicted a knockout finish, adding that physical conditioning will likely decide the outcome.

"The fight will not last the distance. It could be over in seven rounds," Elorde said.

Barotillo, 25, and a veteran of 35 fights, said Pacquiao "is very impressive" but stressed he did not come to the Philippines to lose.

The Sydney based fighter, accompanied by a group led by his manager and trainer Mark Pitts, has a 23-9-3 (win-loss-draw) record, with 16 knockouts.