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By Eddie Alinea, Contributor
A fourth championship in as many weight
divisions is what Team Manny Pacquiao will be pursuing next.
Already a winner of three division championships
following his conquest of Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, a feat
no Filipino or Asian had accomplished before, newly-crowned World
Boxing Council super-featherweight belt holder Manny Pacquiao is
definitely eyeing David Diaz’s lightweight crown.
Pacquiao himself declared this upon his and his
team’s arrival from Los Angeles, California.
“I definitely want Diaz and his lightweight
crown,” Pacquiao told media men during Monday’s press conference
cum victory party hosted by GMA 7.
“Much as I would like to give Marquez a
rematch to settle once and for all our “unfinished business,” my
mind is now focused on moving to the 135 division,” he said in
Filipino.
Even the fight with Diaz, he said, is still
under negotiation. Nothing has been finalized yet although a date
(June 28) and a place (Macau) had already been agreed upon.
If the match up with Diaz pushes through and
Pacquiao prevails, that will give him the opportunity to capture a
championship seven divisions higher than where he began his career.
Pacquiao’s career actually started in 1995
when he was only 16 and a 106-pounder. He grew up fast and his power
grew with him. He took his first championship two weeks before his
20th birthday, dethroning Thai Chatchai Sasakul as flyweight
kingpin, moving to the bantamweight, super-bantam, featherweight
then super-featherweight categories as years gone by beating such
future Hall of Famers Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
Only eight men have so far won four
championships in as many divisions. They are Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray
Leonard, Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya, Roy
Jones, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Leo Gamez.
Asked about his reaction on claims by certain
sectors that Marquez actually won the bout, Pacquiao said rather
bitterly: “I cannot do anything about that. Whoever said that,
well, that’s their opinion. But in boxing there are judges to
decide on who wins a fight. The judges had spoken and we must
respect that in the same manner that I would have also respected had
the decision was in reverse.”
Pacquiao admitted that the fight really was
close reaffirming his statements made after the encounter that it
was one of the toughest fights in his 13-year career.
He said the injuries he suffered in his upper
right eye that needed 10 stitches and the eight-stitch damage on his
lower right eye needed a week to heal.
After the GMA bash, Pacquiao and team proceeded
to Malacañang to pay a courtesy call to President Gloria Arroyo and
First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.
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