The odds are even between Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz.
According to Top Rank president Bob Arum, both the Marquez and Diaz camps have been “very reasonable” in ongoing talks regarding Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent.
Arum told Viva Sports he’s just waiting for Pacquiao to arrive in the US so they could sit down and finally choose between the two WBC champions. Arum has set March 15 as the date for Pacquiao’s next fight – whether it’s against Marquez or Diaz.
After two postponements, Pacquiao was scheduled to take a 10 p.m. Philippine Airlines flight to Los Angeles last night.
“I assume he will get together with me as soon as he gets here,” Arum said.
The boxing promoter said it’s still either Marquez, the WBC super-featherweight champion, or Diaz, the WBC lightweight champion.
“I don’t have a preference,” said Arum.
“They have been very reasonable. There is no question about it. If they hadn’t been reasonable there would be only one guy that Manny would be considering.”
Pacquiao said the decision might come during his short visit to the US where he will also shoot an ad campaign for Nike, where he’ll be starring with superstars like Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant. – Abac Cordero