INQUIRER Sports

AN EXPLOSIVE BOUT BETWEEN FILIPINO pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and knockout artist Edwin Valero is on the drawing board with promoter Bob Arum doing the preliminary sketching.

The name of Valero resurfaced as a possible Pacquiao opponent after the Venezuelan stopped Mexican Antonio Demarco in nine rounds Saturday to keep his World Boxing Council lightweight title in Monterey, Mexico.

Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, however, clarified that it won?t happen right after the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight on March 13 for the World Boxing Organization welter crown.

Though the 28-year-old Valero holds a fearsome 27-0 record, all by knockout, Arum feels he still needs some more quality fights and more poundage before getting a crack at the 31-year-old Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs).

?He (Valero) wants to fight Manny, but to fight Pacquiao he has to prove himself at 140,? Arum told BoxingScene on Sunday.

?The (Valero) plan would be to go up to 140 ... fight some good light welterweights.?

Arum added Valero also needs to secure a United States visa (revoked due to drunken driving) and a license to fight in Nevada.

Meanwhile, Arum told BoxingTalk.com Sunday that ticket sales for the Pacquiao-Clottey battle at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, have exceeded 30,000.