16.03.08 Diaz next for Pacman

Manny Pacquiao's next bout seems likely to be against David Diaz in Las Vegas on June 28, where he will bid to become a four-weight world champion.

After a close victory in his rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez in an entertaining bout in Las Vegas on Saturday night, there were immediately calls for a rubber match but his promoter Bob Arum suggested this will not happen in the short term.

'Pac Man' went one further suggesting he has no interest in fighting Marquez again.


"I don’t think so, this business is over." Pacquiao said when asked after the bout.

Arum was not so definite, but intimated that in the short term they were looking in other directions - first WBC lightweight champ Diaz, then probably a unification bout with Nate Campbell or even a fight with Ricky Hatton.

“I’m not saying they’ll never fight again, but you have to let it bake for a while,” Arum said.

It had long been rumoured that Pacquiao's next bout would be in Macau, giving his many Filipino fans the chance to see him at close hand, but it seems they will have to wait until the bout after June 28.

"The business that Manny brings in is right up their alley,” Arum said of Las Vegas casino Mandalay Bay. “It’s what they want here, and they really wanted to have the fight here at the end of June."

Pacquiao's victory on Saturday made him the WBC super featherweight champion. He had already accumulated belts at flyweight and super bantamweight - the draw against Marquez in their first fight denied him a title at featherweight.

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