Who’s next for Manny?

A mandatory title defense is next for International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao and it looks like leading contender Jose Luis Valbuena of Venezuela will be the challenger in the opposite corner.

Valbuena, 32, is ranked No. 3 by the IBF, which has declared the No. 1 and No. 2 slots vacant. The practice of leaving open slots in the top 10 allows the IBF to arrange "elimination" bouts where it can charge sanction fees. In the IBF’s latest ratings, there were no No. 1 contenders in 14 of 17 weight divisions.

Pacquiao was ordered by IBF president Marian Muhammad to stake his crown against Valbuena 90 days after disposing of Emmanuel Lucero last Saturday.

But Pacquiao is in no hurry to face Valbuena. He’s set his sights on bigger game–either Paulie Ayala or Marco Antonio Barrera. The problem is if Pacquiao ignores the IBF’s orders, he may wind up stripped of the title.

TV boxing commentator Larry Merchant has advised Pacquiao to take on Ayala, the IBF’s No. 5 contender in the 122-pound division, before stepping up in weight to battle Barrera who is widely considered the world’s top featherweight today. Barrera and Ayala hold the key to a big money fight for Pacquiao even as they are not world titleholders at the moment.

Convincing Muhammad to look the other way will involve an economic consideration–par for the course in the fight business. Valbuena could be paid a step aside fee if Pacquiao is determined to tangle with Ayala or Barrera in his next bout. And the IBF could be the beneficiary of a juicy sanction fee.

Pacquiao’s future will be the subject of talks between his business manager Rod Nazario and his US representative Murad Muhammad this week.

Valbuena is a slick boxer-puncher whose record is 23-2-1, with 13 KOs. He has lost only to Barrera and former World Boxing Association (WBA) superbantamweight champion Yober Ortega, both on points. Valbuena lost a unanimous decision to Barrera three years ago but outworked the Mexican throughout the 12-round fight. He threw 848 punches to Barrera’s 611.

In 1999, Valbuena displayed his punching power when he knocked out Carlos Barretto in the 10th round. Barretto was carried out of the ring on a stretcher and died of head injuries three days later.

Valbuena has won his last five outings. In his most recent fight four months ago, he decisioned Julio Gamboa to retain the IBF Latin Americas superbantamweight crown. Before that, the Venezuelan stopped Jorge Soto in a single round.

Ayala, 33, is a southpaw with a 67-inch wingspan and a 34-2 record, including 12 KOs. He is a former WBA bantamweight and International Boxing Organization (IBO) superbantamweight champion. Named Fighter of the Year by the Ring Magazine in 1999, Ayala has lost only twice–to Joichiro Tatsuyoshi on a controversial sixth round technical decision in 1998 and Erik Morales in a fight for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title last November. Ayala, who has beaten Johnny Tapia twice, earned $1 million in the Morales bout.

A highly-skilled technician, Ayala posted a 360-24 record as an amateur and won Junior Olympic and Texas Golden Gloves championships. He is known to be a family man, devoted to his wife Leti and their two children Paul Anthony, 10, and Aleah, 4.

World Boxing Magazine (June 2003) predicted Pacquiao to beat Ayala via a unanimous decision or a late knockout if they face each other. "Ayala will enter the fight as the favorite (but) Pacquiao is a little bit quicker and hits a lot harder plus he has a lot of championship-level experience himself," said the Predictor, an unnamed writer in the magazine.

Ayala told Ring editor Nigel Collins that success will never make him cautious as a fighter. "It’s always been strictly business," he said. "I see my fights as being entertaining. From round one to round 12, even though I’d like to get knockouts, they’re action-packed."

Collins said, "It’s not often that singles hitters like Ayala create the kind of homerun excitement that has typified his fights. Even though Ayala would probably be reasonably successful playing it safe and pecking his way to wins, his pride and macho Mexican heritage won’t allow him to take the cautious route. Ayala fights with the intensity of an assassin. And thanks to his quick hands, rapid-fire combinations and savvy inside moves, he can go into the trenches with harder hitters and emerge victorious."

No doubt, Valbuena and Ayala will use their speed to engage Pacquiao in a long distance confrontation. Neither will risk slugging it out at close range.

Pacquiao is looking forward to a showdown with Barrera in a fight that should deliver at least a $500,000 purse. If it means disposing of Valbuena or Ayala or both to clear the way for Barrera, Pacquiao will do just that.