“The Republica Strikes Back”

After shocking the boxing world and making his name known especially among the Mexican fight fans, Manny Pacquiao was on cloud nine. He went back home and was greeted like a conquering hero in the Philippines as he was honored by the Phillipine government for his accomplishment. The Mexican fight community also honored Pacquiao by giving him the distinction of being hailed as the nation’s “Republica Enemy No.1″ for destroying Barrera the way he did in November of 2003.

Pacquiao definitely became a marked man among the Mexican boxing community which boasted the best the lower weight classes had to offer and hailed Barrera as one of their most revered fighters for his exploits inside the ring. The way Pacquiao manhandled the future Hall of Famer left a bitter taste in Mexico’s mouth but at the same time, Pacquiao’s come-forward and fighting nature also earned their respect. It is after all why they love Barrera so much and is the trademark “Mexican Warrior” fighting style- because he comes in and fights and leaves everything in the ring the way the likes of Julio Caesar Chavez did before him.

Pacquiao became a hot commodity overnight. Everybody wanted a piece of Pacquiao, and Pacquiao promoter Murad Muhammad was more than ambitious and eager enough to take on all comers and cash in on his newfound pot of gold. Muhammad announced that Pacquiao will be coming for Mexico’s two other greats in Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales. During that time, the three Mexicans including Barrera, had a chokehold on the division and were considered the cream of the crop. And so they went on their quest to slay Mexico’s three-headed monster.

Next in line was Juan Manuel Marquez. At that time, Marquez was the lesser known of the three Mexican legends and was also said to have been the most avoided because of his skill but did not have that star power and Mexican following like Barrera and Morales to lure opponents with a big payday. Muhammad and Pacquiao however were on a mission and Marquez was simply the next challenge in their quest.

The fight was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 8, 2004. A raucous crowd of more than 7,000 showed up attributing to Pacquiao’s rising popularity. People came, hoping for different results but one thing they expected after seeing the little tiger from the Philippines fight was that there would be a lot of action. And from the get-go, Pacquiao did not disappoint.

Pacquiao came out of the gates like a house on fire. HBO commentator Jim Lampley narrated how Pacquiao’s aura has been surrounded by much fanfare the way only last seen from figthers like Mike Tyson. Stories of sparring partners coming home with broken ribs, knockouts coming day after day at the Wild Card Gym where Pacquiao trained started spreading like wildfire adding to Pacquiao’s mystique. And as if on cue, after Lampley’s elaborate description of the mythology that surrounded the Filipino slugger, Pacquiao floored Marquez in the 1:31 mark of the opening round. A second knockdown would follow shortly as Marquez seemed beffudled and did not know what hit him. Pacquiao’s killer left was landing at will as if it had a homing device to Marquez’s face. Whatever skill Marquez boasted off prior to the fight seemed to have been lost in his dazed and confused state as the only thing he did well in the ring at that moment was to block Pacquiao’s punches with his face.

A third knockdown came at the 35 second mark and at this point, people were just wondering how Marquez was still able to get up and survive the onslought Pacquiao was putting on him. The round ended with Marquez still eating Pacquiao’s punches and willing his body to stay up while back pedalling until the bell sounded. Marquez showed a tremendous amount of heart and resolve just to survive the round. A lesser man would’ve definitely quit. Looking back, Pacquiao seemed the smaller man against Marquez on this night. It’s amazing in a sense because today Pacquiao has fought a lot of bigger fighters like Oscar De la Hoya and Ricky Hatton and to see not too long ago he was fighting with a much smaller frame is mind boggling.

Marquez would slowly bounce back after the first round as he was starting to get familiar with Pacquiao’s assault. Pacquiao was looking more and more predictable and towards the late rounds, Marquez was starting to read him like an open book. Amazingly, Marquez was able to regroup and make the fight competitive as the rounds went on and what seemed to have been a one-sided affair in the beginning, was turning out to be a hellacious back-and-forth blood bath between two gladiators. Pacquiao was still edging Marquez out for most of the rounds but the dramatic comeback Marquez displayed made an impression everyone who witnessed it. How could it not? The fight displayed the best of both spectrums boxing can offer. Pacquiao showed the ferocious and violent side of a beat down while Marquez displayed the technical brilliance of the sweet science.

The fight went the full 12 rounds and ended in a disappointing draw. One of the judges would issue an apology and admission of error in scoring when he inappropriately scored the first round 10-7 instead of 10-6 because of the three knockdowns Pacquiao had on Marquez. The point would’ve given Pacquiao a split-decision victory. Personally I felt Pacquiao did deserve the win although a draw wasn’t such a travesty either. I can’t say Marquez won that fight however contrary to some people say. I think the dramatic comeback Marquez put on and the impressive way he was able to stay up and mount a comeback gave him a moral victory and earned the respect of any person who saw the fight. If you try to look closer though round by round, it’s hard to find enough rounds for Marquez to clearly win the fight. There were a lot of rounds that can go either way but I felt Pacquiao still had the edge but because of the way Pacquiao dominated in the beginning and how Marquez was performing better may have swung people’s favor to Marquez direction. It’s unfair to judge something because of a replay though, but then again, I have the luxury to review it so I’m just calling it how I saw it. Hindsight is 50/50 however so ultimately, the draw I think was for the best. Pacquiao and Marquez would just have to do it again if they truly wanted to prove who was the better man.

After the fight Pacquiao and Marquez were quoted in an article by USA Today,

    “I thought I won and I didn’t think it was close,” Pacquiao said. “I thought I took his fight away from him. If they want a rematch, no problem.”

    Said Marquez, “I think he won the first round and maybe one another round. I thought I won the fight. I don’t need a rematch but if everybody wants it, let’s go.”

The fight would be hailed as 2004′s Fight of the Year. After the draw, Pacquiao returned to the Philippines and was greeted by more fans and bigger motorcades. The draw and the perception of being “robbed” of a victory endeared Pacquiao more to his countrymen who themselves know how it is to be handed the shorter end of the stick on a daily basis. The sensational performance did not make Pacquiao any more beloved in Mexico however as his notoriety grew and added to his label as the nation’s “Republica Enemy No.1″.

There was still another Mexican legend waiting in the sidelines however and he was indeed paying attention. Erik Morales would be next, and he would give Pacquiao the biggest challenge and put him to the test. Manny Pacquiao has definitely come far from where he started. Check back tomorrow for part five of this article as I chronicle the next few years of Manny Pacquiao’s career, as he struggles through adversity and meeting the man who would make him taste defeat in “El Tirreible” on top of personal and managerial conflicts that almost destroyed his career.

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After Manny Pacquiao’s four impressive knockout victories since the draw against Agapito Sanchez in San Francisco, Pacquiao was not only starting to make boxing fans look, he was also starting to catch the attention of big names in the sport. One of those big names was Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera noticed Pacquiao and said to have seen something in the explosive Filipino that reminded him of himself.

The only difference was that Pacquiao isn’t Mexican. Barrera at that time had just signed with Golden Boy Promotions had requested Richard Shaeffer to arrange a fight against Pacquiao as the Mexican legend did not enjoy watching Pacquiao demolish his Mexican countryman Emmanuel Lucero.

At the time, Pacquiao was being promoted by Murad Muhammad. Muhammad had lofty goals for Pacquiao as he had envisioned for “The Destroyer” to run through the best Mexico and the weight class had to offer and become a household name. Although in hindsight the plan might have been too hasty and ambitious, it proved indeed beneficial for Pacquiao’s career since not only did it give him recognition, it also gave him valuable experience that pushed him to become the fighter he is today. And so the Barrera fight was set for November 15, 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.

Pacquiao entered the ring donning a San Antonio Spurs home Tim Duncan jersey as Pacquiao is a big basketball fanatic. The predominantly Mexican crowd in any case wasn’t having any of it as the numbers dramatically favored Barrera. Pacquiao started the first round focused and determined as he should for the biggest fight of his career yet.

It’s hard to stress enough how significant this fight was for Pacquiao’s career. His determination however would be quickly put to test as he fell victim to another bad case of officiating when he slipped in the beginning of the first round but was ruled a knock down. Pacquiao knew coming in that he was going against the odds and his camp did not expect him to win a decision in Barrera’s backyard. The knockdown ruling only amplified what Pacquiao already knew he was up against as he knew he needed to get a knockout victory in order for him to come out of San Antonio with a win. And that he did.

As if sensing his opportunity quickly slipping away from him before he can even taste it, Pacquiao put forth an inspired effort since the slip. He went for the jugular and laid everything on the line and made no secret of his intentions. He was going to knock Barrera out. Pacquiao constantly attacked Barrera with his right jab and left straight combinations. Pacquiao landed 31 out of 63 power shots in round 2 as his reach, speed and constant motion seemed to have been bothersome for Barrera. Pacquiao’s punches, as skinny as he was then, had that devastating pop usually reserved only for fighters in the heavyweight division. He was throwing haymakers, crosses and straights at Barrera like he was Roger Clemens throwing fast balls in his prime- without the juice of course.

In round 3 Pacquiao carried his momentum from the previous rounds and was able to even the playing field when he floored Barrera with a spine busting hard left straight on the button. Barrera had that befuddled look as he sat on the canvas that seemed to say “what the hell did I get myself into?” As Jim Lampley commented, it was the most desperate he had ever seen Barrera look but the way the fight played out, Pacquiao kept fighting like the desperate man in total disregard of the scorecards.

He just kept going after Barrera as if Barrera was the person who ate his dog as a child. (All kidding aside, one of the incidents that allegedly got Pacquiao into boxing was when he ran away from home back when he was young kid because his father ate his dog) Pacquiao grew up in poverty with challenges and struggles not a lot of people have had to go through. Floyd Mayweather Jr. asked what Pacquiao was doing during the times he was dominating the sport in his teens, well my answer to that would probably be that he was in Manila just trying to find ways to put food in his belly while trying to sustain a career in boxing. The fact that Pacquiao did not have the tools and head start most boxers here in America get just makes his accomplishments all the more impressive.

Pacquiao relentlessly continued his assault on Barrera. He was marking Barrera similar to the way he was reconfiguring oscar De la Hoya’s face last December. Round after round, Pacquiao was looking more and more like the sport’s next superstar. He was throwing combinations straight from a Bruce Lee movie and smiling in the process like he was dealing with a sparring partner. And round after round, Barrera was looking older by the minute. Although Barrera would see better days after this fight like his victory over Morales in the third installment of their trilogy and climbing up as the linear champ of the 130 division, as well as being one of the pound for pound best of the sport, against Pacquiao that night in 2003 however, he looked like a man who needed to hang it up.

Barrera kept fighting though, exposing some chinks in Pacquiao’s armor in the process like leaving himself open whenever he goes for the kill as Barrera tagged him with several good counters. Barrera tried every trick in the book and resorted to some rough tactics when he tried to head butt Pacquiao, but the man from the Philippines was simply too strong, too fast and too good for him that night. He went to war with his AK-47 against a soldier who carried Optimus Prime’s artillery on his back. Barrera was simply outgunned.

The end came in round 11 as Pacquiao kept fighting like he wanted to go 30 more rounds, bombarding Barrera with punches from all angles that seemed to hit every single time. Pacquiao threw jabs, devastating left crosses, straights, upper cuts and the kitchen sink at Barrera. Barrera’s corner in return had to throw in the towel. The night belonged to Pacquiao. From that night on, Pacquiao’s star was born.

Manny Pacquiao has definitely come far from where he started. Check back tomorrow for part four of this article as I chronicle the next few years of Manny Pacquiao’s career, as he struggles through adversity fighting the other 2 Mexican legends on top of personal and managerial conflicts that almost destroyed his career.

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“The Exodus”

Five months after Manny Pacquiao burst in the American boxing scene by annihilating Lehlohonolo Ledwaba at the MGM in Las Vegas and capturing the IBF super bantamweight belt, Pacquiao faced the rugged and game WBO super bantamweight champion Agapito Sanchez at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California. It was the Bay Area’s first live glimpse of the Pac Man who is now beloved and has throngs of fans in the area as evidenced by the massive crowd that showed up and cheered Pacquiao just a little over a month ago when Pacquiao threw the ceremonial pitch at the San Francisco Giants’ game against the San Diego Padres.

Pacquiao entered the ring with his now signature smile and joyful demeanor and although it pales in comparison to his current fan base, there were already some Filipino fans that came out with their Philippine flags in support of Pacquiao at that time. Speaking of the Bay Area, if you watch the old videos of this fight, Pacquiao’s body and frame reminded me so much of Nonito Donaire Jr. who is from the bay area and also has Filipino blood running through his veins. He was skinnier and obviously a lot smaller and younger than he is today. Reasons why comparing the old Pacquiao to the current one is not only unrealistic in terms of his skill set, but his physical level as well. It’s just like comparing a picture of LeBron James from high school compared to today.  

Visible in the Pacquiao entourage was his then promoter Murad Muhammad whom I will be discussing more later on. And speaking of Donaire and promoters, Pacquiao and Donaire actually share another similarity that seems to have been forgotten by a lot of people. Both fighters were once promoted by Gary Shaw. Of course most people that followed Donaire are aware of his bitter break-up with Shaw in 2007, but in 2005, Gary Shaw inked Pacquiao to a promotional contract replacing Muhammad.

Pacquiao started strong in his fight against Sanchez but definitely struggled with Agapito’s roughing tactics. Pacquiao’s defense and boxing skills were definitely light years from what it is today but his tenacity, explosiveness and his willingness to trade blows and take his opponent’s head off definitely caught the eyes of a lot of boxing fans.

Despite lacking defense, Pacquiao’s perpetual movement proved to be a quagmire for the Dominican as Sanchez resorted to some dirty tactics to keep Pacquiao at bay during moments where the Filipino seemed to be turning the tide in his favor. At the end of the first round, Pacquiao landed one of his patented vicious left cross on Sanchez’s jaw that almost floored Sanchez similar to Pacquiao’s devastating KO punch over Hatton.

In round 2, Pacquiao sensing blood, jumped out the gates but suffered a nasty cut on his right eye in what was ruled as an accidental head butt when he tried to swoop in on Sanchez. The cut bothered Pacquiao for a little bit although he would not be denied as he kept laboring on and landing big shot after big shot. Sanchez started resorting to some dirty tactics however as he tagged Pacquiao with a low blow in the 3rd round and was roughing Pacquiao up. In the 4th, Sanchez would again hit Pacquiao with a couple of low blows that floored Pacquiao for a few seconds. Pacquiao was given time to rest by the referee but to his credit, kept his composure and kept fighting on.

More than anything, the class Pacquiao displayed and the fighting spirit for bouncing back and not playing into his opponent’s dirty tactics truly symbolized how he has won over fans from all over the globe with not only his courage and skill but also his heart, determination and the fact that he is a clean fighter. Pacquiao is definitely a rare breed, not just in terms of his greatness as a boxer but also his character as a person.

Sanchez kept applying his rough tactics on Pacquiao as the ref could not see a lot of it. In the 6th round however, the cut Pacquiao suffered in the 2nd round got worse to the point that the ringside doctor has to stop the bout. The fight was called a draw to the dismay of the crowd and amid boos as both fighters retained their respective belts. It wasn’t the sensational follow-up performance most of his fans had hoped for coming from the Ledwaba victory, but Pacquiao definitely won over a lot of fans and boxing experts and analysts as well for the way he conducted himself and fought til’ the end. A signature highlight from this bout was when Pacquiao started licking his own blood from his gloves caused by the cut eye on his eye.

    An African-American friend of mine who saw the fight with me on TV remarked, “Damn! I Wouldn’t want to fight that guy. He’s crazy, look at him licking his own blood from his gloves!” I shot back at him and replied “If you fought him, that would be your blood!” And he just shook his head. It was somewhat of a moral victory for Pacquiao as he earned the respect of a lot of people for the heart he displayed and class despite being placed in an unfavorable position.

After the tough draw with Sanchez, Pacquiao went on a roll. He defended his title 3 times against the likes of Jorge Eliecer Julio, Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym and Emmanuel Lucero and another victory in his home country against Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov. All victories ended in either a KO or a TKO. None of it though would compare to the next challenge Pacquiao would have to overcome.

About two years after his fight against Sanchez, Pacquiao would again step in the ring with another boxer who also had a reputation of using dirty tactics. That boxer was Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera’s skills and accomplishments were far beyond Sanchez can ever wish to become though and almost everyone outside Pacquiao’s camp were already writing Pacquiao off. Justifiably so, Barrera was already considered one of the greatest boxers to ever come out of Mexico at that time. It would be Pacquiao’s biggest challenge and Barrera would be the best he’d ever had to face at that stage of his career.

Manny Pacquiao has definitely come far from where he started. Check back tomorrow for part three of this article as I chronicle the next few years of Manny Pacquiao’s career, from looking back at his epic battles against 3 Mexican legends to his managerial and personal conflicts and his emergence as a “National Treasure” In his homeland.

Quotes:

    “From General Santos City Philippines, the reigning, defending IBF junior featherweight champion of the world, Manny “The Destroyer” Pacquiao!!!” — Michael Buffer (Pacquiao vs. Julio)

    (When Jim Lampley discussed Pacquiao’s previous fight against Sanchez, his co-commentator responded) “I can’t imagine anybody fouling me, when I was fighting, that many times without getting one back. He must be a really good kid.”

    “This is some prospect Bobby. To me he’s just every bit as exciting as Prince Naseem Hamed.” — Jim Lampley (Pacquiao vs. Julio)

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“Introduction”

Around 10 years ago in September of 1999, Manny Pacquiao was at a crossroads of his career. He had just lost his WBC flyweight belt to Medgoen Singsurat in Thailand after getting knocked out by a body shot. Pacquiao had stayed too long at the 112 division and was dehydrated and struggled to make weight for his title defense. It was Pacquiao’s last campaign below 120 pounds as he jumped 10 pounds for his next fight and captured the WBC international super bantamweight belt.

It was a wise career decision for Pacquiao as it marked the beginning of what would be boxing’s most impressive run in the past decade. Pacquiao would go on to make five successful defenses of his title until he got his big break in 2001.

Enter Freddie Roach.

When Pacquiao first came to America in 2001 and knocked on the boxing gyms looking for someone to take him in, he received the cold shoulder most Filipino boxers before him got from trying to crack into the American boxing scene. Let’s be real, there was little to no interest from this side of the globe when it came to boxers from that other side of the globe at that time. You just didn’t see too many Asians, especially Filipino boxers with much success here in the states back then. For whatever reason, that was the case. Manny saw more shut doors than the Jehovah’s Witnesses… well maybe not more but you know what I mean. But one fateful day, Manny walked inside the now hallowed doors of 1123 Vine Street in Hollywood- address of what is more known to the boxing world as the gym of the Wild Card Boxing Club- and the rest is history. I guess it’s just as they say. “If you want to be a star, come to Hollywood.”

It was supposedly Manny’s second to the last stop before he goes back to Manila and bid his American dreams goodbye. It’s then when Freddie Roach first saw Manny Pacquiao’s potential. He must’ve seen something that the rest did not have, for him to want to take on trainer number one, two, six and thirty six’s sloppy seconds. He saw a diamond in the rough. He gave the unknown kid from General Santos city Philippines a home.

And now General Paulino Santos must be rolling in his grave in fears of his name getting permanently deleted from the map of the Philippines because as all Filipinos know, General Santos City, Philippines is really Manny Pacquiao City, Philippines.

From that point on, Freddie and Manny built a solid trainer-boxer relationship. Manny worked his tail off from day one, and Freddie responded by sharing and giving his all to help the boy reach his potential. And boy did he reach and surpass his potential! Can you imagine now, how things would’ve been without a Manny Pacquiao? Think about it. What if Freddie Roach overslept that day or got his car towed or something and that meeting never happened?

I’m pretty sure Juan Manuel Marquez has thought of a world without a Manny Pacquiao a few times before but let’s get real. I know Halloween is a ways away but do I really have to put on my Larry Merchant costume to stress out how big of an impact Manny Pacquiao has made for the sport of boxing? He singlehandedly resuscitated a sport gasping for air. He not only kicked the door open for Filipinos and Asian boxers alike, he also helped reacquaint the boxing public to the lower weight classes- not to mention spawning a newfound passionate boxing fan base that is the Filipino boxing fans.

Pacquiao’s break came not too long from the fateful day when Pacquiao and Roach first met. Just a few months after, Pacquiao would jump in as a replacement to fight the then oft-avoided IBF super bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba at the MGM in Las Vegas. It was Pacquiao’s first ever taste of the big time, fighting for the first time under the bright Vegas lights. Nobody really knew who Pacquiao was nor did they have reason to, but from the get go, Pacquiao relished and took full advantage of his opportunity as he destroyed Ledwaba in sensational fashion, knocking out the champ in the sixth round and introducing his name to boxing fans around the world in the process.

Manny Pacquiao has definitely come far from where he started. Check back tomorrow for part two of this article as I chronicle the next few years of Manny Pacquiao’s career, from his boxing exploits, his managerial and personal conflicts to his emergence as a national figure in his home country, the Philippines.

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MANILA, Philippines — Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao made it to Forbes magazine’s list of highest-paid athletes in the world, tying for the sixth spot with basketball phenom Lebron James and golfer Phil Mickelson.

According to Forbes, Pacquiao is the highest-ranking among four newcomers to the list, raking in a total of $40 million in the past 12 months. The boxing star is among the eight non-Americans on the list, which had golf icon Tiger Woods ($110 million) at the top.

“Pac-Man hogged the boxing spotlight over the past year with victories in two blockbuster fights against Oscar De La Hoya in December and Ricky Hatton in May that combined for more than $100 million in pay-per-view revenue in the US,” Forbes said in a brief write-up.

“The two blockbuster fights garnered more than 2 million pay-per-view buys in the US and earned Pac-Man $30 million combined.”

The reputable business magazine cited the General Santos City-based southpaw’s endorsements with giant firms.

“Pacquiao’s massive popularity in his native Philippines is why companies like Nike and San Miguel beer have signed him to endorse their products. Pacquiao intends to use that popularity to run for political office when his ring career is over,” Forbes added.

Among those ranking above Pacquiao include basketball stars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, and Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen at No. 2 ($45 million each), and football standout David Beckham at No. 5 ($42 million).

Forbes has earlier listed Pacquiao as the 57th most influential celebrity in the world. The Filipino spitfire was also included in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People.

Pacquiao is reportedly returning to the ring in November, possibly against welterweight star Miguel Cotto.

Click here to view the complete Forbes “World’s Highest-Paid Athletes” list. – By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

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Manny Pacquiao, the pound for pound king of boxing has given out the orders to promoter Bob Arum to get him a mega fight with WBO Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao was ringside for Cotto’s hard fought victory over Joshua Clottey and has immediately told Arum to make the fight happen. Has Pacquiao seen a weakness that he will be able to exploit?

It was thought Pacquiao would hold out to fight the winner of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight on July 18th, but a Mayweather injury has postponed the fight till September and it looks as though The Pac Man doesn’t want to wait that long before making a decision.

Shouts for a fight with “Sugar” Shane Mosley have died down, so it does look as though it will be Cotto in the opposite corner. Pacquiao was scheduled to fight in October but November 14th is the proposed date.

After twelve hard rounds against Clottey where Cotto found himself with a nasty cut above the left eye, you would think a long deserved break would be in order but the Welterweight champion will once again find himself in the lion’s den when he meets the Filipino sensation.

It is reported that Cotto’s Welterweight title will be on the line but the fight will be fought at a catchweight of 144-143 pounds. Bob Arum is hoping to close the deal on the fight this week.

The prospect of watching this mega fight is really making my heart race and what is more exciting is the prospect of the winner potentially fighting Floyd
Mayweather next year.

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MANILA, Philippines – “We’ve found the new Manny Pacquiao,” gushed promoter Sammy Gello-ani as teenaged “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona sent Thai veteran Wandee Singwancha to dreamland with a vicious left uppercut at 1:49 of the second round to claim the vacant WBO Oriental flyweight crown before 2,000 believers at the Cebu Coliseum two weeks ago.

“Sonsona has Pacquiao’s power and the moves of (IBF flyweight titlist Nonito) Donaire,” said Gello-ani. “I never expected him to dispose of Wandee so easily. He may be skinny and lanky at 5-7 but he hits like a mule. He’s mature for his age. He’s ready for a world title shot.”

Gello-ani said yesterday he is close to finalizing negotiations for Sonsona to challenge WBO superflyweight champion Jose (Carita) Lopez of Puerto Rico on the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez undercard at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 18. An offer has been made by Golden Boy Promotions, he disclosed.

Gello-ani said he expects the fight contract to be sent this week. Once the deal is confirmed, Sonsona will apply for a US visa. Gello-ani noted that Sonsona recently gave up his WBO Oriental title to pave the way for his recognition as Lopez’ challenger.

Lopez, 37, has a 39-7-2 record, with 32 KOs, and is a crafty veteran. No doubt, he’ll use his experience to thwart Sonsona who has never fought outside the country.

Sonsona, 18, hails from Pacquiao’s hometown General Santos City but the similarity doesn’t end there. A southpaw like Pacman, Sonsona has lightning hand-speed and packs dynamite power in both fists. Due to his frame, he could move up all the way to lightweight over time. Sonsona might just be able to duplicate Pacquiao’s rise as a world champion in six weight divisions.

The win over Wandee raised Sonsona’s record to 13-0, with 12 KOs. He turned pro in 2007 and is clearly one of the country’s hottest boxing prospects. Last October, Sonsona knocked out Joel Rafols in the second round to win the vacant WBO Asia-Pacific Youth flyweight crown and defended it via a fourth round stoppage of Liempetch Sor Veerapol of Thailand three months later.

But the masterful demolition of Wandee, a former WBC interim minimumweight and lightflyweight titleholder, was a strong statement that Sonsona is headed for big things. A smashing combination capped by a left uppercut left Wandee sprawled on the canvas where he lay motionless for several minutes.

Wandee, 29, was no slouch. In 2000, he lost a majority 12-round decision to Mexico’s Jose Antonio Aguirre for the WBC 105-pound diadem and three years later, engaged now undisputed superflyweight champion Vic Darchinyan twice in Australia.

New Zealand referee Bruce McTavish, who worked the fight in Cebu, was impressed by Sonsona’s crisp and accurate punching.

“I didn’t think anyone so frail-looking could hit so hard but he puts a lot of body weight behind his punches,” said McTavish. “He’s got speed and accuracy. His combinations are jarring. This boy is a heckuva fighter. When Sonsona threw that left uppercut, Wandee was out like a light. I didn’t bother to count. I called for the doctors right away because he was out cold.”

McTavish, a veteran of over 130 world title fights as a referee or judge, said Sonsona reminds him of a young Pacquiao. “He’s got the makings of a future world champion,” added McTavish.

Curiously, Sonsona didn’t like fighting at first. His father, a former pro, taught him the rudiments and bribed him with a soda just to get him to lace up the gloves in the gym when he was 12. Before long, Sonsona developed a liking for the sport and racked up over 200 amateur bouts.

Sonsona is trained by local hand Jun Agrabio but Gello-ani said he’s prepared to bring him to someone who can take him to the next level. He raised the possibility of Sonsona training at the Wild Card Gym, if Freddie Roach agrees.

Sonsona’s manager is Dr. Rajan Yraola, a Manila dentist who assigned the fighter’s promotional rights to Gello-ani. – By Joaquin Henson (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)