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Mirror, mirror on the wall . . . who is the most
deserving challenger of them all?
World Boxing Council (WBC)
lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao may have to consult a crystal
ball if only to determine who deserves a shot at his 135-pound
tiara. The Filipino slugger, who has emerged as the division’s
meal ticket following his spectacular ninth-round knockout of David
Diaz on June 29, just can’t seem to make up his mind vis-a-vis the
identity of his next challenger.
Initially, the name of incumbent
World Boxing Association (WBA) junior lightweight champion Edwin
“Dinamita” Valero cropped up. Valero, 24-0 with 24 knockouts,
appeared to be a lock for Pacquiao until questions about his health
started to resurface. Valero sustained trauma in his head seven
years ago when he crashed his motorcycle on the windshield of a
vehicle.
American promoter Bob Arum
originally wanted Valero-Pacquiao on November 8 in Las Vegas.
Valero, however, is banned from fighting in the area and Arum
apparently does not want to waste time and money on a fight that
could be shelved the moment the Nevada State Athletic Commission
decides to keep the ban on Valero.
Last we heard, the fight has been
scrapped and a new adversary has stepped up to the plate—Humberto
Soto.
Soto, 44-6, earned Pacquiao’s
attention last year when he knocked out Pacman’s brother Bobby in
seven rounds.
The son of a driver, Soto grew up
in Los Mochis, Mexico where he worked as a grocery bagger and sold
tamales to augment the family income. He started boxing at age seven
and was given the nickname “La Zorrita” (the Little Fox) by his
grandfather, who noted how a young Humberto moved with the speed and
slyness of a fox.
Soto turned pro in 1997 and got
off to a topsy-turvy start. But by the time he defeated Pacquiao,
Soto had racked up 20 straight wins. The winning streak was stopped
when Soto was outslicked by Joan Guzman.
In the undercard of the Pacquiao-Diaz
fight, Soto battled Francisco Lorenzo for the WBC interim jr.
lightweight belt. Soto was dominating the bout when he was
disqualified after allegedly landing a foul blow. The WBC recently
ruled the fight a No Contest and Lorenzo was fined $2,000 for
resorting to theatrics to give the appearance that he was seriously
hurt by the flagrant shot.
Soto is a better fighter than
Diaz and offers more experience than Valero. The Mexican’s offense
is above par although he is a tad slow.
Soto is being lined up for a
November 15 fight with Pacquiao. Then again, even this fight is not
a done deal.
Here’s the rub: While the WBC
is ready to give its blessings on a Pacquiao-Soto showdown, the
organization apparently wants the fight to take place at the jr.
lightweight (130 lbs) level. Pacquiao currently holds both the WBC
lightweight and jr. lightweight belts and is likely to discard one
as the WBC does not allow a double champ. The WBC has given Pacquiao
until July 28 to make a choice. Pacquiao is likely to give up the
130-pound belt and keep the 135-pound diadem.
The WBC has announced that if
Pacquiao does vacate the belt, Soto will meet Lorenzo in a rematch
for the regular WBC jr. lightweight title.
Verily, for the fight with
Pacquiao to push through, Soto will have to move up to the 135-pound
division. Soto has two options: Opt for the rematch with Lorenzo for
the WBC jr. lightweight belt or go for the big bucks as a challenger
for Pacquiao’s WBC lightweight title. Lorenzo is the safe choice
as Soto need not move up in weight and will only take on an opponent
he was already beating handily when they first met.
Soto better make up his mind
fast. Just about every lightweight is itching to take on Pacquiao,
what with the promise of a mega payday.
The situation figures to play
itself out. The moment Pacquiao chooses which belt to keep, Arum
will be able to properly streamline the opponents for his prized
ward.
Everybody will line up, but in
the end there can only be one.
For comments, the writer can
be reached at atty_eduardo@ yahoo.com
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