Marquez afraid of Pacquiao?

Boasting that a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera would produce the same result, Manny Pacquiao said he prefers to have a return bout with Juan Manuel Marquez although the WBA/IBF featherweight champion has been reluctant to fight the Filipino boxing hero in an immediate bout.

"He felt my power, my God-given power," said Pacquiao when asked by Anthony Cocks of DoghouseBoxing.com. why Marquez seemed to be reluctant to fight the Filipino boxing hero in an immediate rematch.

Truly, Marquez was stung by the left-handed Pacquiao’s straights right in the first round when they slugged it out at the MGM Grand last May but the Mexican fighter bucked three knockdowns and escaped with a split draw.

Marquez has actually signified his intention to face Pacquiao again but his promoter Bob Arum earlier ruled out an immediate rematch, citing Marquez’s mandatory fight with Orlando Salido. The bout has been lined up as an appetizer to the pay-per-view showdown between Oscar dela Hoya and Bernard Hopkins on Sept. 18 in Las Vegas.

With Marquez virtually out of the equation, the Pacquiao camp is now looking for a return bout with Barrera, whom the General Santos native demolished via an 11-round stoppage last year.

But Barrera has since recovered from that humiliating setback. In fact, he whipped Paulie Ayala last week to herald his comeback.

However, Pacquiao is unfazed by the Mexican legend’s recent surge and said he would be more than willing to fight him again "anytime, anywhere."

"There is a very good chance for the rematch but it will have the same outcome," said Pacquiao.

This came about as Pacquiao’s New Jersey-based promoter Murad Muhammad of M&M Sports and Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions, Barrera’s promoter, have taken the matter to HBO to pencil a fight date in three months the soonest.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao has also ruled out a forthcoming clash with junior lightweight champion Erik Morales, saying: "I wouldn’t go that far yet. I still have a long way to go in the featherweight division. God willing, I will be victorious."

"I will concentrate on the featherweight division for now. Barrera and Marquez are the toughest fights in my immediate future," said Pacquiao.