"I really think it was against his will to say that he’s now ready to fight me. He’s just looking for some attention," said Pacquiao, barely 24 hours after he returned from a vacation in Hong Kong where he spent four days with his family and close friends.
"I really think he’s afraid of me," Pacquiao told a friend.
The Filipino superstar, however, said he’s ready to fight Barrera if the perfect opportunity comes. He added that his top priority right now is his coming fight in Manila, tentatively set on July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Pacquiao is supposed to face Mexican Oscar Larios in a 10-round tune-up fight heading to a third and deciding match against Erik Morales, the three-time world champion. Pacquiao and Morales split their last two fights, and people are seeking a closure to this great rivalry.
Pacquiao and Morales are bound to meet later this year. But that’s unless Barrera manages to squeeze himself in and lure Pacquiao into a rematch.
In November of 2003, Pacquiao dealt Barrera probably the worst loss of his career, stopping the highly regarded Mexican assassin in the 11th round of their scheduled 12-round, non-title fight in San Antonio, Texas.
But Barrera picked up the pieces and took the World Boxing Council’s 130 lb title from Morales, his fellow Mexican, in 2004. He has defended it twice against lesser opponents, including one against Robby Piden of Australia last year.
While Barrera was silently defending his title, Morales and Pacquiao made a lot of heads turn with their own rivalry. In two fights over a span of 10 months, Morales and Pacquiao made a lot more money than the reigning champion.
"Nobody minds Barrera that’s why he said he wanted to have a rematch with me. I think he was just forced to say that he’s willing to fight me when in truth, he’s scared of me," said Pacquiao.
Barrera’s adviser, Roberto Diaz, thinks otherwise.
"Marco does not bring up excuses, but we all know what happened on the first fight. Manny won, he clearly won, but come Fight 2, Marco will be ready, and we will see a new Barrera," said Barrera’s adviser.
Pacquiao’s American trainer, Freddie Roach, also seemed to belittle Barrera’s capability to fight the raging Filipino boxer who demolished Morales inside 10 rounds last Jan. 19 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Instead of Pacquiao, Roach offered the former’s younger brother Bobby as Barrera’s next opponent.
"But we’re going after the big shark, not the little fish," the Barrera camp countered.
For the meantime, Pacquiao is busy sealing his next fight in Manila, be it against Larios or someone else after the handlers of the former world champion reportedly decided against going to Manila, citing its unpredictable political situation.