HBO okays May fight for Manny

Murad Muhammad’s M&M Sports has secured an HBO date for uncrowned world featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao in May with the controversial US promoter pursuing an explosive million-dollar matchup pitting the Filipino boxing hero against IBF/WBA featherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez.

Team Pacquiao is expected to make an official announcement over the weekend or early next week at the latest although Muhammad was unavailable for comment since he and the HBO executives are in the thick of negotiations in the US at presstime, according to Boxingtalk.com.

Pacquiao and business manager Rod Nazario are set to leave for the US early next month to discuss the deal with Top Rank Inc., the promotional outfit of Marquez, and hopefully make official his 12-round championship match against Marquez.

The Marquez bout is expected to rake in a guaranteed purse of $1 million for the 25-year-old General Santos native, who rose to worldwide fame with his stunning 11th round knockout of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera last November.

What could imperil the fight, however, is the demand of Marquez for a guaranteed $1.5 million purse, which experts find "ridiculous."

This developed as Barrera reiterated his call for a rematch with the Filipino tormentor at the end of the year. Barrera is set to return to action in March in Las Vegas either against Willie Jorin, Bones Adams or Paulie Ayala.

"We are working towards a re-match within this year. If I didn’t think I could win it, I wouldn’t be seeking it. The problems that were there, are now passed. It is a challenge to get this re-match against Manny," said Barrera in an interview with Boxingscene.com.

He added that he’s ready to face Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Los Angeles or the Philippines.

"It’s the rival rather than the place which is most significant. Manny is a good fighter with ample experience. He hits hard and is a great person outside and inside the ring, and he defeated me well. I wish Manny the very best of the best and hope we can have this re-match this year," added Barrera.

Once in the US, Pacquiao is also expected to meet with Freddie Roach to convince the noted American trainer to stay with the team. The bespectacled Roach, who was responsible for Pacquiao’s rise to prominence, quit the Team Pacquiao early in the year in protest to Muhammad’s handling of the boxer’s financial dealings.

It was Roach who cautioned Pacquiao on his camp’s plan to line him up against Marquez, saying the Mexican champion could be too tough a foe for him at this stage of his career.

"I think it’s a terrible decision for him to fight Marquez in his first defense. That fight needs to be built up because nobody knows Marquez unless you’re a die-hard fan," said Roach, who preferred Paulie Ayala instead.

The 30-year-old Marquez, nicknamed "Dinamita," packs a ring record of 42-2 with 33 knockouts, while Pacquiao has a 38-2-1 mark with 30 KOs.