Pacquiao said Kevin Kelley and Carlos Alberto Hernandez, both former world titlists, are being considered as his opponent in a tune-up bout on the same card as Erik Morales. It will probably be a 10-round match.
Kelley, 38, grew up in Flushing, New York, and is known as the "Flushing Flash" because of his crafty boxing ability, speed and ring wizardry. A two-time New York Golden Gloves bantamweight champion, he compiled a 62-5 amateur record then turned pro in 1988.
Like Pacquiao, Kelley is a southpaw and a No Fear clothing endorser. His gift of gab prompted Jason Kolodny of International Boxing Digest to write that he "has a black belt in verbal karate."
Kelley is a former World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Union (WBU) featherweight titleholder. He has a 56-6-2 record, with 37 KOs, and is coming off back-to-back wins over Felix St. Kitts and Jose Reyes. Five of his losses were inflicted by past or present world champions Marco Antonio Barrera, Morales, Naseem Hamed (whom he decked thrice), Derrick Gainer and Alejandro Gonzalez.
Among his victims were former world champions Jesus Salud of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, and Mexican Goyo Vargas.
A flamboyant boxer-puncher, Kelley is in the history books as the first featherweight since the late Salvador Sanchez to appear on HBO. He paved the way for other exciting featherweights like Barrera, Morales and Pacquiao to invade the multi-million dollar US cable TV market.
"Handicapped people are my inspiration," said Kelley who lives in a Long Island home with his wife, four children and a very friendly dog. "I fight with handicaps all the time. I fought Russell Davidson with a broken left hand and beat him with my jab alone. I knocked out Gainer with one good eye. I’m like a chameleon. I can change my colors and stripes to confuse my opponents. I can knock out fighters with either hand. I can brawl or box."
Hernandez, 34, is a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Council (IBC) superfeatherweight champion. He was born in Los Angeles of El Salvadorian parents and has a 41-5-1 record, with 24 KOs.
Hernandez was trained by the legendary Jackie McCoy and Emanuel Steward before hooking up with Argentinian Amilcar Brusca who used to work Carlos Monzon’s corner. Hernandez’ wife Veronica, a Mexican psychologist, is his manager. He’s the first and only El Salvadorian world boxing champion.
Growing up homeless and often sleeping in a friend’s garage as a boy, Hernandez now has enough money from his ring earnings to support charities in El Salvador and provide for his family. In his fight against Morales last year, he used part of his purse to pay for an El Salvadorian girl’s liver transplant. Hernandez is so popular in El Salvador that everything stops in the country when he fights on TV.
Hernandez is nicknamed "Famoso" but calls himself another Jake ("The Raging Bull") LaMotta because he never goes down, no matter how badly battered he is. Hernandez has never been floored or stopped in a career that began in 1992.
"Hernandez is a gritty, fiercely competitive battler of the old school," wrote Bob Mee of Boxing News. "He tucks his chin down and steams in, whacking away, sometimes with some fairly agricultural stuff and at other times with surprising correctness." Boxing News editor Claude Abrams described him as "a short, tough brawler (and) proverbial come-to-fight warrior."
Hernandez’ battle cry is "No Borders" which is usually emblazoned on the waistband of his trunks. He is the first fighter ever to floor Floyd Mayweather Jr.
One of Hernandez’ victims was Filipino Isagani (Little Guns) Pumar whom he halted in Inglewood, California, in 1996.
Pacquiao said after he beats Kelley or Hernandez or whomever, his next opponent will be either Barrera or Morales in December in an HBO pay-per-view blockbuster in Las Vegas.
"Humahamon si Barrera," said Pacquiao the other day. "Baka, siya ang makakalaban ko sa Disyembre. Sana itaon nila sa birthday ko (Dec. 17). Sa totoo lang, mas mahirap na kalaban si Barrera than Morales. Si Morales, talagang talo ako sa laban namin but marami akong inintindi sa isip ko noon–yung niloko ako nila Murad (Muhammad), yung back taxes ko, yung pagkuha sa akin ng dugo two days before the fight, yung Winning gloves at marami pang iba."
Pacquiao said he can’t wait to resume training in the gym. Freddie Roach expects him to report to the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles in the first week of August but Pacquiao said he will leave for the US sooner if his Wack Wack benefit golf tournament on July 28 is postponed.
Roach said he will train Pacquiao in a secluded camp to keep away from distractions. Options are the Big Bear facility in California and the gym where Mike Tyson used to train in Phoenix, Arizona.