Manny itching for rematch

Uncrowned world featherweight boxing champion Manny Pacquiao can’t wait to maul Juan Manuel Marquez in a rematch.

Pacquiao told The STAR the other day he failed to knock out Marquez in Las Vegas last weekend because he hurt his left hand in the first round and blistered his left big toe.

"Swerte siya," said Pacquiao. "Nawala ang aking balance kasi masakit ang kaliwang paa ko. Tapos, nabawasan ng diin ang suntok ko sa kaliwa at namaga ang aking kamay. Sayang at ‘di ko naipakita yung mga bagong technique na natutunan ko kay Freddie (Roach) sa training."

Pacquiao said he’s willing to fight Marquez anytime, anywhere—–even with bare fists–although his business manager Rod Nazario vowed to stay clear of Las Vegas where the Mexican’s promoter Bob Arum holds sway.

Pacquiao said he blistered his left big toe because his socks were too thin. He wore a pair of made-in-China socks he bought from the Giant Dollar store on Vine Street in Los Angeles before leaving for Las Vegas.

Nazario said he bought a pair and subjected it to torturous washing. To his surprise, the socks held up. So he bought some more pairs. Pacquiao found out about the bargain and bought a pair, too. The cost was 99 cents for two pairs.

Pacquiao wore the same shoes he used for the Marco Antonio Barrera fight last November but for some reason, they were tight. He wondered if his feet got bigger.

Another sore point was the bandage on his hands. Pacquiao said the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) now requires a fighter’s hands to be bandaged before applying the plaster wrap. The usual practice is to wrap the plaster before the bandage. Pacquiao said his hands were loose inside the gloves even as the bandage was tight, perhaps a bit too tight to compensate for the plaster overlay.

Despite the extraneous circumstances, Pacquiao said he did enough to win the fight. And if judge Burt Clements didn’t make a mistake in scoring the first round, Pacquiao would’ve won by split decision.

Pacquiao said he won’t throw away the thin socks. He’ll keep them as a reminder not to scrimp on socks for his next fight.

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New Jersey promoter Murad Muhammad likened Pacquiao to Muhammad Ali and Marquez to Joe Frazier.

"Ali fought Ken Norton with a broken jaw," said Muhammad. "Ali told me Manny reminds him of him. As for Marquez, he showed the heart of a lion. He’s like Frazier. He just keeps coming on. Manny beat Marquez up so bad he won’t be able to fight for a year. If his next fight is against a good opponent, he’ll get knocked out." Muhammad said the draw didn’t diminish Pacquiao’s luster as the people’s featherweight champion. "It means more that Manny is the people’s champ than Marquez as the IBF and WBA champ," said Muhammad. "The Marquez fight made Manny a bigger hero because he went toe-to-toe despite his injured hand and foot."

Muhammad said Pacquiao is also like Ali in their focus in the gym. "In training camp, nobody in Ali’s entourage could go to the mall when he was working out because it took hours," recalled Muhammad, a karate black belter and a former Ali bodyguard. "The average fighter trains 12 or 15 rounds a day. But Manny does 25."

Muhammad’s lawyer Lamont Jones recently filed a protest before the NSAC to correct Clements’ scorecard and declare Pacquiao the winner over Marquez by split decision. Muhammad said the ace in persuading commission executive director Marc Ratner is President Arroyo’s endorsement of the protest. He explained that a national outcry, supported by the President, would shake up the commission.

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Pacquiao did some gambling in Las Vegas after his fight. He sat thrice at the blackjack table. First, he won $400. Then, he pocketed $1,300. On his third try, he lost $1,000, leaving him with a net gain of $700.

The Monday after Saturday’s bout, Pacquiao toured the Grand Canyon with wife Jinkee. They left the MGM Grand Hotel at 6 a.m., arrived at the Grand Canyon four hours later and got back at 9 p.m. At the MGM Grand Hotel, Pacquiao and Jinkee were chaperoned by trainer Buboy Fernandez in their suite.

Pacquiao and his traveling party rearranged their Philippine Airlines bookings from San Francisco as point of departure to Las Vegas. The usual charge for changing tickets is $150. They were charged only $25 each.

Pacquiao, Jinkee and Nazario were upgraded on the flight back to Manila to first class. Moy Lainez moved up to business while Lito Mondejar, Fernandez and Gerry Garcia stayed in economy class. In all, the party of seven checked in 14 pieces of luggage. There were no overweight charges.

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Solar Sports president William Tieng, executive vice president Peter Chanliong, production head Erick Tam and marketing executive Rico Arce were at the airport to welcome Pacquiao at 4:30 a.m. last Thursday.

Solar Sports booked Pacquiao and his wife at the Mandarin Hotel where Muhammad and his companion Salome Bey are staying until today.

Pacquiao hosted a press conference for sportswriters and friends at the Emerald Garden restaurant on Roxas Boulevard the night of his arrival. After a brief open forum, Pacquiao started to eat–he was Hungry–when Vicky Morales of GMA-TV showed up to whisk him away for about an hour. Morales interviewed Pacquiao at the Super Travel office beside Emerald Garden.

Pacquiao’s purse for the Marquez fight was $750,000–the biggest purse ever for a Filipino fighter. "I don’t exploit fighters," Muhammad stressed. "Manny’s earned more than he ever did since I began promoting him. Our relationship is built on trust. He believes in me. Pop (Nazario) believes in me. I believe in them. It’s like a marriage."

Muhammad said PLDT’s logo was on the canvas instead of Budweiser to acknowledge the Philippines’ presence in the big HBO card. "We could’ve gotten more from another canvas sponsor but it wasn’t about money," he noted. "We wanted to showcase the Philippines."