Pacquiao v Valero November 8?

From Manilla Bulletin
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LAS VEGAS — Edwin Valero will be next for Manny Pacquiao, his promoter announced yesterday.

Top Rank head Bob Arum said on Saturday that Nov. 8 has been penciled for the next fight of Pacquiao, and that Valero, the unbeaten Venezuelan knockout king, has been tapped to battle the newly-crowned World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight king.

"He will fight on Nov. 8 either here or in Texas, but hopefully it will be here," said Arum after the post-fight press conference of the Pacquiao-Diaz.

"The opponent had a medical problem but he’s been cleared at least in one state and hopefully it’s going to be cleared up here, too. I have been talking with my friend (Akihiko) Honda and he’s game for the fight and I think people will love it because he’s a huge knockout guy."

Honda, who heads Teiken Promotions, which has offices in America and the biggest boxing outfit in Japan, holds the promotional ties on Valero.

Valero has a 24-0 record with all wins coming by way of knockout, including 19 in the first round.

Valero is the current World Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight (130 lbs) ruler and is aching to test Pacquiao’s mettle in another battle of lefties.

Arum said Valero, like Pacquiao, is also having problems getting down to 130 lbs.

"That’s (Valero) the fight we are making and if Manny is successful at that, we will look if (Ricky) Hatton is available," added Arum.

Valero, who now trains under American Kenny Adams here, is presently in his native Venezuela but is scheduled to go back to the gym in mid July, according to Honda, who staged two Mike Tyson fights in Tokyo in the 1990s.

Two weeks ago in Tokyo, Valero kept his WBA crown for the fourth time with a seventh-round TKO of Takehiro Shimada.