Make or break

This will be a make-or-break year for Philippine professional boxing with the country’s most prominent fighters figuring in acid tests here and abroad.

Manny Pacquiao, of course, heads the list. He battles Hector Velazquez of Mexico in a scheduled 12-round bout at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 10. Pacquiao clinches a multi-million dollar payday in a rematch with Erik Morales early next year if he hurdles Velazquez.

If Pacquiao loses to Velazquez, it will considerably lower his stock in the fistic money game. Stock or reputation is what making money in boxing is now all about because wearing a championship belt is no longer as important as being a box-office draw.

International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Marquez, for instance, can’t seem to lure the big bucks because he’s not an exciting fighter. Marquez is a methodical and boring technician with no flair for the dramatic.

No wonder there’s talk that Marquez will be stripped of his IBF crown for failing to negotiate a defense against, of all challengers, No. 1 contender Fahprakorb Rakkiat-Gym who didn’t last a round with Pacquiao. There’s also talk that the WBA is about to dethrone Marquez because he no longer qualifies as a "super" champion without IBF recognition. The WBA regular or non-super champion is Chris John of Indonesia.

With the way the IBF and WBA are mistreating Marquez, it’s no surprise why a world title is almost meaningless today. The governing bodies can’t wait to unload Marquez and find a replacement who can sell tickets.

Pacquiao is a perfect example of a fighter who commands a huge purse even if he isn’t a "world" champion. That’s because he’s a crowd pleaser with lots of charisma. There’s never a dull moment when Pacquiao’s in the ring. The hitch is he’s only as good as his last fight like everybody else.

Pacquiao hasn’t won a fight in the US since halting Marco Antonio Barrera two years ago. He drew with Marquez last year and lost to Morales last March. No matter how exciting a fighter he is, Pacquiao’s luster will fade fast if he doesn’t start winning soon. That’s why he’s in a must-win situation against Velazquez.

Aside from Pacquiao, other high-profile Filipino fighters scheduled to see action in big bouts this year are Brian Viloria, Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista, Randy Suico, Eriberto Gejon, Gerry Peñalosa, Bobby Pacquiao, Malcolm Tuñacao and Rev Santillan.

Viloria, a full-blooded Filipino, takes on World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight champion Eric Ortiz and Bautista faces Felix Murillo of Colombia in the Pacquiao-Velazquez undercard.

Suico, one of only two Filipino Oriental champions, battles former IBF lightweight king Javier Jauregui of Mexico in the Barrera-Robbie Peden undercard in Las Vegas on Sept. 17. Suico’s lone setback was a disputed split decision loss to Mzonke Fana in South Africa. A win over Jauregui will move Suico closer to a showdown with Barrera assuming the Baby-Faced Assassin takes care of Peden as he should.

Gejon, unbeaten in 22 outings, tangles with WBA minimumweight champion Yutaka Niida in a 12-round title tussle in Yokohama on Sept. 25. It will be the third world title fight involving a Filipino this year. The first saw Noel Tuñacao