By Hermie Rivera

Manny Pacquiao, the compulsive-punching terror of junior, lightweights is headed to an uncharted territory—moving up in weight to battle David Diaz for his WBC lightweight belt at Vegas’ Mandalay’s resort/casino.

The still untitled 12 round championship match marks a dramatic turn for the Filipino ring idol as he intrudes into a new weight section since starting out as a light-flyweight.

The beneficial assistance to Manny in his debut at 135 pounds will be known on March 15—the date his promoter Bob Arum chose for boxing devotees who are intrigued by Pacquiao’s move to drop Juan Manuel Marquez and the other Juan (Diaz) from the upcoming March blockbuster.
 
Earlier, one of the aspirants Joan Guzman of the Dominican republic was scratched from the Pacman “sweeps”.
 
Another discard is unbeaten Venezuelan Edwin Valero who has been unheard of since his sparring days with newly retired Marco Antonio Barrera.    
 
It’s been six weight groupings that the GenSan bruiser has involved himself in, garnering two  alphabet titles, Ring magazine’s prestigious belt, fighter of the year accolade and pound for pound honors among others.
 
Other key details of the mega-bout entailing the highest prize-money for Manny and David will be known shortly.
 
The decision to gun for the lightweight diadem is in fulfillment of a special wish Manny has been coveting since his loss in politics— five world titles in 5 separate weight categories.

 

 And then some which could be the loudest whispered meeting with the inimitable Oscar de la Hoya at 147 pounds.
 
The highly-fancied “Ides of March face-off” will net for the winner truckloads of current medium of exchange in various denomination.(Dwindling value of the U.S.dollar notwithstanding))
 
Not to mention the high drama and absolute ring mayhem the willing mixers are bringing to the dance.
 
To some buffs, Manny’s precipitate jump to David’s ringdom is unexpected knowing that he was serious to stay and sincere to play in his super-featherweight domain.
 
Why then is he lusting for Diaz’ scalp?
 
Simple. Manny creamed Erik Morales twice by knockouts while David escaped with a questionable points win over El Terrible in their August 4 clash for the title in Chicago.A nebulous decision even the Filipino smasher assailed when asked for his take on the closely fought title setto.
 
How Pacquiao will handle his hostile  konfrontasi with the Mexican action fighter so as  to allow him to get through unscathed will be in full display at a venue where he retired the other Mexican legend— Marco  Barrera.
 
For Diaz, it is important to keep his commitment as demanded by his governing  boxing body or else blame will be heaped on his handlers who were’nt good at getting him guys he can’t beat. 

By Hermie Rivera 
 
OK, Marco Antonio Barrera, stubbornly inflexible for 12 rounds gave Manny Pacquiao a  surprise when he lasted the distance before a roaring Las Vegas crowd at Mandalay’s resort/casino.
 
 
But the bigger surprise was Manny’s inventive switch from compulsive punching to bonny boxing — an ingenius game plan that frustrated Marco despite Pacquiao’s lack of committed ferocity in the well-applauded rematch.
 
Pacman’s previous knockout wins has left an impact on his fans who have come to expect it in all of his fights.
 
Asked why he deviated from his usual norm, Gensan’s slugger fired back rather quizically; “You don’t want your ass kicked by an old man do you?”
 
Fittingly, Pacquiao’s innovative conquest of Barrera closed the book on one of Mexico’s  legends — a masterstroke unlikely to be equalled by a Filipino in the next century or so.
 
John Whisler of the San Antonio Express earlier wrote that a Pacquiao victory  was  certain since the Philippines’ finest ringman is just “too young, too explosive and too dynamic.”.
 
 
HBO’s Jim Lampley was more emphatic: The Filipino boxing idol is just “too fast, too strong and too good.”
 
 
But Pacquiao’s latest coup has posed problems in his weight class.
 
 
Manny has dominated the jr. lightweight division thoroughly that a move to the lightweight rung looks imminent.
 
 
Categorized at times as super-featherweight, the 130 pound rating was created for fighters who find it too wide to bridge the gap between featherweight (126 lbs.) and lightweight (135 lbs.).
 
 
Since tightening his grip on this weight innovation, the 28 year old phenomenon is being lured to move up for big money fights against WBC lightweight boss David Diaz or unbeaten Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz, an aggresive, hard-hitting Mexican who could pull in the crowd for a huge payday..
 
 
 
There is also an on-going scuffle among the other aspirants in both weight allocations to earn a bunchful of mint.
 
Now, who is likely to have the first crack at Pacquiao’s tower of fortune?
 
While Juan Manuel Marquez was almost stopped by the General Santos city rougher en route to a debatable draw, he remained unbeaten in his last six fights to include his (oops) pilferage of Marco Barrera’s crown at the MGM grand.
 
Deserving?
 
Not quite.
 
The knock on Marquez is that he’s unexciting. Whether this is an accurate reflection of his style or not will be known only if he gets picked as Pacquiao’s prime opponent.
 
 
Promoter Bob Arum has given Manny the authority to negotiate all that’s needed with his next archenemy.
 
 
Cool!
 
 
Magkano? (How much?)

By Hermie Rivera

That’s Manny Pacquiao’s clear intent in crushing Marco Barrera’s October hunt for redemption at Vegas’ Mandalay Bay resort/casino.

The Filipino idol is itching to repeat his 11th round knockout of the Mexican three-time champ who’s recklessness at the Alamodome in San Antonio almost ruined his livelihood.

Makes one wonder why Barrera would want to risk it all again.

But Barrera is one good fighter who is now doing it right.

The ring-savvy Guadalajaran has once more become attractive to promoters—6 straight wins since his Texas collapse—minus the theft of his WBC jr.lightweight belt he defended against Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand.

Less than four years since that debacle, Barrera aced all of his opponents to become a viable corrival of the Pinoy ring icon.

Now,Marco is into a bold experiment—that of engaging the services of Edwin Valero, a Venezuelan lefty who has iced all of his 22 victims.( Pedicab drivers?)

So far there’s been no hints of distraction that marred Marco’s preparations.

Nothing vexed Manny’s camp either save for a minor ailment which was readily remedied.

We will know soon if this imported sparmate can deliver for the ‘assassin’ who has been ranting he’ll smash the Pacman for avoiding him like the hated tax hound.

Valero must help his new found padrino. Otherwise, Senor Barrera’s worst fear of getting kayoed one more time will happen.

Marco’s toughness is a given. But his ability to extricate himself from a Pacquiao-orchestrated bind remains his chief headache as we move closer to the highly-awaited classic.

OK, there’s a chance for the multi-titled Mex to pull an upset. But he has to negate Manny’s speed else a bad loss will mark the end of Barrera as a world-class fighter..

Not an easy task since Marco is up against a nasty mangler who nearly converted his boxing license into a sales document that permits him to sell pencils in his cozy Guadalajara.

Fight fans generally want to watch action-sated smokers spiced by punches that twist a fighter’s face which their own Moms can’t recognize.

No problem. In this bout, both combatants are capable of providing one-punch knockouts or the multi-blow variety.

There will be more power punches thrown than those executed in their first encounter—making it a compelling theater steeped in high drama.

No title is at stake this time as decreed by the promoters.

The WBC has been imposing it’s International title belt to extract unjustified sanction fees from the involved fighters.

One of the greatest perfidies since the sale of the Brooklyn bridge more than once by con artists in various eras.

By Recah Trinidad

LOS ANGELES — It would be terribly unwise of Marco Antonio Barrera to kill himself preparing for a two-fisted roller coaster in his next fight.

Manny Pacquiao, a marked southpaw, may indeed throw more right hands come Saturday, Oct. 6 in Las Vegas. But if Barrera bothers to put his over-abused nose closer to the video screen, he would discover that the dreaded right hand was already there when Pacquiao ran him over in November 2003.

If in doubt, Barrera could go send one assistant to the Wild Card gym here where there’s a yellowish full newspaper page pasted on the right wall, immediately after the door, detailing the gory presence of the right hand nose-crusher in their first encounter in Texas.

It’s, of course, unclear whether the Pacquiao right shot came in the form of a hook or a jab, but the impact of the blow pitifully distorted Barrera’s handsome profile beyond recognition.

* * *

That said, we take this opportunity to inform Señor Barrera he should start preparing for a Pacquiao hidden weapon.

No, correction. This one that ultimately opened the door to Barrera’s lamentable defeat four years ago is not exactly secret.

But if it should now loom like a mystery, a fleeting midnight blade landing like a lightning bolt, it’s because of the dumb fact Barrera et al had overlooked it.

Instead of Pacquiao’s over-hyped new shot — the right hook, which had at one time been associated with the disloyal Manila Ice — Barrera should come ready to duck the Big Jab.

Whether Barrera likes it or not, he will be standing up before a two-handed upheaval in Pacquiao.

It’s, of course, hard to tell whether that storm could complete the devastation or dissipate ahead, given Pacquiao’s uneven training regimen that saw him bolting perfect Wild Card to keep love fires burning at home.

* * *

Anyway, credit for exposing the hidden Pacquiao weapon goes to John Chavez who, writing for Boxing News, went off the beaten track to give The Jab its rightful place in the Sweet Science:

“While there’s been so much emphasis on Pacquiao’s power punches in recent times, it’s the simplest and subtle things in his arsenal that truly make him special … It’s funny how even at the highest levels in boxing, the simplest punch is still and will always be the most important.”

Touché.

Now, let’s call in the inimitable Hermie Rivera, who bothered to lend us his observation from his love nest in San Jose, in the process confirming how trainer Freddie Roach had also given credit to Pacquiao’s phantom jab:

* * *

“If Manny starts out with his usual dose of non-stop punching, then a shortened evening is in store for Marco who’s in a grind himself sweating his butt off at a Guadalajara gym.

“Midway into their arduous workouts, I still can’t see how Barrera can avenge his knockout by Pacquiao. Unless he has grown a third arm and a leg to boot.

“Buoyed by the expert handling of Freddie Roach and Buboy Fernandez, the southpaw terror is on track to reassert his dominance of the Mexican three-time champ.

“At best, Barrera will find it discomfiting — at worst difficult — once Pacquiao opens up with his long list of stinging hooks and straights set up by his wicked jabs.

“‘Any fighter leading with the jab can execute the knockout drills polished in the workouts,’” says Freddie.

“You can bet the house Marco would be looking for ways to surprise Manny in their re-acquaintance shindig.

“Manny’s powerful strikes hurt Marco in their first encounter, forcing his handlers to stop it in the 11th round.

“He was staggered repeatedly by solid shots unleashed without let-up by the Filipino crackerjack.

“This time, expect Marco to seek desperate means to eke out an upset over his hard-hitting rival.

“To execute such plan, Barrera must engage Pacquiao early and whack away at every turn to exact maximum damage — else he’ll be in pasture posthaste.

“Ironically, a defeat could revive Marco’s stalled drive to earn a law degree, an avid wish sidetracked by his 11th round collapse at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

“If Barrera gets blown out again, maybe he can seek solace in the successional defense of his future clients. Against Manny — he’s defenseless.

“While Barrera was consistent in winning most of his fights, there’s something vital that he must do but didn’t in their first war.

“He must avoid standing in front of Manny and getting an abundance of heavy jolts sans the obligatory counterpoise. I’m sure Barrera’s handlers know about this fistic gaffe by now.

“Now we are looking at a healthy Pacquiao and this means the Pinoy mangler is all set to repeat his enthralling stoppage of the vengeance-seeking Barrera.”

Some 6 weeks into the celebrated rematch. Manny Pacquiao is outpacing Marco Barrera despite a late start at his new training pad.

The Pacman is at it again, sharpening his skills for the Mexcan ‘assassin’ with intense energy induced by his irripressible corner.

If Manny starts out with his usual dose of non-stop punching, then a shortened evening is in store for the gritty Mex who’s in a grind himself sweating his butt off at a Guadalajara gym.

Midway into their hectic workouts, I still can’t see how Barrera can avenge his first knockout by Pacquiao. Unless he has grown a third arm plus an extra leg to boot.

Buoyed by the expert handling of Freddie Roach and Buboy Fernandez, the southpaw terror is on track to reassert his dominance of the former three-time champ.

At best, Barrera will find it discomfiting or at worst, difficult once Pacquiao opens up with his combos of stinging hooks and straights set-up by his wicked jabs.

“Any fighter who leads with the jab can execute the knockout drills polished in the workouts,” says Freddie.

That goes for Marco, I would think who’s been looking for ways to surprise Manny in their re-acquaintance shindig at Vegas’ Mandalay resort.

In their initial slugfest, Manny’s powerful strikes hurt Marco thus forcing his handlers to call it a night.He was bounced from a rain of mind-jarring blows in a run-away lift unleashed without let-up by the GenSan crackerjack.

In the October 6 return go, expect Marco to seek desperate means of making things difficult for his hard-hitting corrival.

To execute such plan, Barrera has to engage Pacquiao early and whack away at every turn for maximum damage else he’ll be in pasture posthaste.

Ironically, a defeat could revive Marco’s stalled drive of earning a law degree. An ardent wish sidetracked by his 11th round collapse at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

What the budding barrister confirmed at an Los Angeles presser was retirement if the Filipino ring idol deals him another mind-numbing set back.

All the better if he can put his mind back to his law books.

If Barrera gets blown out by Pacquiao again, perhaps he can seek solace in the successional defense of his future clients.

With Manny–he’s defenseless.

While Barrera was consistent in winning most of his fights, there’s something vital that he must do but did’nt in their first war.

A crucial error he must avoid is to stand in front of Manny and get an abundance of mighty jolts sans the obligatory counterpoise.

I’m sure Barrera’s handlers know about this boner by now.

While Marco scored little success in their first encounter, nothing hair-raising dazed Manny save for a left hook or two.

This is Manny’s first fight since getting clobbered in politics but that loss makes him more dangeous at this time don’t you think?

In the span the Philippine boxing hero has been honing his art at Wakee Salud’s camp, Manny Pacquiao is looking more like the right guy who’s at the right time and place for the vengeance-seeking Marco Antonio Barrera.

Anyone looking for an an enthralling encore?

By Hermie Rivera

These days, we find Manny Pacquiao resting from a failed political bid but come Oct. 6, millions of boxing fans will feast on a sure-fire slugfest with Marco Antonio Barrera.

While Barrera has grown a tad wiser than usual, his rout by Pacquiao at San Antonio’s Alamodome (11TH rd KO) has observers ruling out an upset in the rematch at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Memories of that meeting, tough one to ignore” says the baby-faced assassin as he gears up for his climb to respectability.

Barrera has started training while Pacquiao has started shooting a film.

With Barrera’s headstart, who do think gets assassinated? The Pacman? Or will lefty Manny go back to his well of powerful deliveries to bomb sillier the transplanted Guadalajaran?

Methinks he will without a doubt.

Jorge Solis, the last Mexican Manny smashed (8th round ko) cautions his compatriot not to stay stationary and allow Manny to get off with his hefty shots. Calls Pacquiao’s speed special, adding that Marco will stay upright for as long as he can sneak in his solid licks. .

Barrera, honored by his selection as Pacquiao’s opponent is not throwing away the privilege of redeeming himself from that Texas fiasco.

It took him almost four years to get the rematch, winning all of his matches since that Lone Star debacle to include the World Boxing Council super-featherweight crown which was stolen on March 15 by Juan Manuel Marquez. Thanks in large measure to the inept-judging by the arbiters abeted by a sight-impaired referee.

It is therefore crucial for Marco to stay unbeaten since another cataclysmal outing will end his colorful career.

It will be a violent contact between two of boxing’s finest with both warriors capable of ending it early once they spot an opening for their blasters.

Their styles excites. A collision of true belters that’s likely to conclude in a knockout.

This means the judges will not figure at all in deciding who wins it. Good.

So then, is it going to be a walk in the park for Manny? “Not so” says Marco’s backers. “There’s no one at the fight scene who can infuse drama and excitement better than our man.”

Indeed, it was dramatic and exciting watching Marco drop to the canvas like an uncontrolled yoyo in his first encounter with the Cotabato marvel.

With Manny’s cool demeanor bordering on savagery when needed, expect an excellent swaps of truculent wallops with our man getting the better of the exchanges.

The country’s pride is not thinking at all of a loss in the rematch.

He views a setback unacceptable while a repeat win will accentuate his popularity that could bolster his chances for another stab at politics.

This is not just about a fight of Manny Pacquiao, our slugging icon who stands to bag “tons of greens” in his return go with Barrera.

It is about what lies ahead for the Philippines’ preeminent unifier–a clear path to consummate stardom.

Awesome!