Pacquiao ‘wants Macau fight’

MACAU- Philippines boxing hero Manny Pacquiao wants his next fight to be in Macau, according to his promoter Bob Arum, who says they are working on an autumn showdown in the casino enclave.

Negotiations are ongoing for a September rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez, who knocked Pacquiao out in December, Pacquiao’s spokeswoman Rose Tamayo told AFP earlier this week.

Manny Pacquiao AP

Asked late on Saturday at The Venetian resort-hotel in Macau if Pacquiao would be appearing there this year, Arum said: “I hope so, I certainly hope so. That will not be this summer, but will maybe be in the fall.

“I know he’s expressed a desire to fight here, so we are working on that.”

Pacquiao wants his next fight to be outside the United States, where he has traditionally fought in front of huge crowds and for enormous pay-per-view television revenues, to avoid high taxes.

Tamayo had said that Dubai and Singapore were also options.

Pacquiao, 34, has won an unprecedented eight world titles in different weight divisions, and was until recently regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer.

But he lost his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown in June last year in a controversial points decision to US fighter Timothy Bradley, then suffered a knockout defeat to Marquez.