Pacquiao excited to fight Barrera in Las Vegas

Philippine boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is excited to face Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch set on Oct. 6 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The Philippine Star through its website www.philstar.com reported Monday that the Filipino boxer from Gen. Santos City will start training in two weeks before flying to the United States to continue his preparation at the Wild Card Gym of his trainer Freddie Roach. "It's Barrera that's why. I need to train long and hard," said Pacquiao. Pacquiao wants to finish all his commitments here in the Philippines and abroad before hitting the gym so he will be leaving for the United States on Tuesday for an scheduled visit. "We must be ready," stressed Pacquiao who added that he has yet to be notified how much money he will earn in the fight. But when asked how much he intends to earn from the fight, Pacquiao replied that he should pocket nothing lower than $3 million to $4 million. Earnings in his shares in the pay-per-view, TV rights and merchandise are not included in the amount. In another report on Sunday by the same newspaper, it said that Pacquaio could become the Philippines' first athlete with billions of pesos in earnings. "Yes, if everything falls into place, Manny Pacquiao can become a billionaire. There's just too much money to be made out there," said Wakee Salud, one of Pacquiao's confidante, told The Philippine Star. The report said that even if Pacquiao bows to Barrera, it shall be a win-win situation for the Filipino pugilist as a third fight like a trilogy reminiscent of the Filipino's fight against Erik Morales is in the offing. Then there are fighter who are raring to prove themselves by defeating Pacquiao. These are Hector Velasquez, Oscar Larios and Jorge Solis. And in each fight the Pacquiao is expected to earn millions of dollars. But there's a catch, Pacquiao's fight purse, according to the newspaper, would grow only if he stays to be the man to beat. The Filipino pugilist could line himself up, if he wins over Barrera, against World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico who wants a rematch against Pacquiao after a controversial draw in 2004. Also lining up for big-purse fights against Pacquiao are Edwin Valero, the reigning World Boxing Associaiton champion; Joan Guzman, the World Boxing Organizatin champion from the Dominican Republic; and Humberto Soto, whose fight against Pacquiao was sidelined following the settlement of the legal dispute between Top Rank and GBP. Soto was scheduled to fight Pacquiao in Vancouver, Canada in October until the agreement was reached beween Top Rank, Inc. and Golden Boy Promotions that ended their legal fight over as to who should promote Pacquiao. Barrera, Marquez, Valero and Guzman, the report said, have ties with Golden Boy while Soto is also being promoted by Top Rank. - GMANews.TV