Pacquiao focused on Marquez fight; Floyd Jr after publicity says Arum

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Manny Pacquiao would rather concentrate on his coming World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight fight with Juan Manuel Marquez than get engrossed in a rumored May 5 showdown next year with American rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. "Manny said he's concentration right now is on his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Nothing more," said Michael Koncz, the southpaw fighter's adviser. Reports of the fight the world wants to see finally happening first came out on ESPN when Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser, broke out the news that the unbeaten 34-year-old American is poised for a ring return on May 2012 at the MGM Grand possibly against an opponent whom he referred to as the "little fella." "We're looking to make the biggest fight possible and everyone knows what that fight is—the little fella," Ellerbe said. "Floyd made it very clear that he wants to give the fans the biggest fights out there," he added. "He wants to stay active. We're going to do everything in our power to make the biggest fights out there for the fans and we all know what the fight is." Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, also dismissed the reports as nothing but a publicity stunt to grab away the limelight for the November 12 fight between the world's top pound-for-pound fighter and the 38-year-old Marquez. "Obviously, they're just trying to get the attention away from Manny," said the 79-year-old Harvard-schooled Arum. Twice, negotiations for a Pacquiao and Mayweather mega-bout bogged down in the past after both camps failed to come to terms on the drug-testing method to be administered on both fighters. Last September 17, Mayweather came out of an almost two-year sabbatical and challenged Victor Ortiz for the 147-pound. version of the WBC belt. Floyd Jr. wrested the title with a controversial fourth-round knockout of the young Mexican. — JVP, GMA News