For Pacquiao-Cotto to become world title fight WBO to assess Pacman $150K

CEBU, Philippines - There had been a clamor all over the boxing world that the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto superfight should be a world championship bout.

For World Boxing Organization president Francisco “Paco” Varcarcel, it is highly possible on three conditions - Pacquiao should write a letter of request to the WBO, inform Top Rank promoter Bob Arum about his intent, and pay the US$150,000 (P7.2 million) sanction fee.

These are the concessions set forth by Varcarcel if Team Pacquiao wants the fight to be a WBO welterweight title match.

“Manny has to write the WBO a letter of request. Then he talks to Bob Arum and Bob will inform me. Arum is willing to do it, you know. Now after that, we can push Miguel Cotto to do it. I talked to Arum before in New York and he wants to do it. I will talk to Arum again and we will tell Cotto to do it,” Valcarcel told Dr. Allan Recto of philboxing.com.

If Valcarcel and Arum have already agreed on the matter, the monetary aspect of the deal comes next.

“The total amount is going to be $ 150,000 for Manny. Bob Arum told me before that he was willing to pay the whole amount, for everybody,” added Valcarcel on the same internet report.

If Cotto declines to defend his WBO welterweight belt, Valcarcel assures that Pacquiao will snatch the title if he beats the Puerto Rican star come November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“Let Manny fight for the title and if he wins, he will get the title as WBO Welterweight Champion of the World,” guarantees Valcarcel, even as he downplays Arum’s earlier statement that “no one cares in the US about the belt.”

“Bob Arum sometimes say some things that he doesn’t really mean…he is now in his 70’s…if Manny forces him to do it, he will do it…if Manny tells him, “I want to fight for the title!” – he will force Miguel Cotto to do it. We can both pressure Miguel Cotto to do it,” said Valcarcel.

Even if Pacquiao and Cotto will slug it out at a catchweight limit of 145 lbs., Valcarcel said it could still be a title duel as there had already been a precedent in the past.

In 2004, Bernard Hopkins and Oscar de la Hoya fought for the undisputed middleweight championship at a catchweight of 158 pounds, two pounds shy of the regulatory limit of 160 pounds for the middleweight division.

Valcarcel pointed out that the significance of making it a title showdown is that Pacquiao, if victorious, will equal De la Hoya’s record being a six-division world champion.

So far, the Pacman has won five crowns in different weight classes (WBC flyweight, IBF super bantamweight, WBC super featherweight, WBC lightweight and IBO junior welterweight) not to mention his stunning victories over Marco Antonio Barrera and Oscar de la Hoya under the featherweight and welterweight divisions, respectively.   (THE FREEMAN)