By NICK GIONGCO
Argentine knockout king Luis Carlos Abregu is dying to square off with Filipino star Manny Pacquiao, who is hunting for an opponent for a Nov. 23 fight set in Macau.
Abregu, 30, told worldboxingnews that he is delighted that Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum has mentioned him as a candidate to land the Pacquiao jackpot in an event penciled for The Venetian.
“It makes me really happy to be considered…since last year, I have been waiting for my chance and now is the moment to prove why I’m on top of the rankings,” said Abregu, who holds a 36-1 win-loss record with 29 KOs.
Abregu’s most recognizable foe was Tim Bradley, who was recently beaten in a rematch by Pacquiao.
Bradley had outpointed Abregu in July 2010 but Abregu believes he has improved tremendously and assures everyone that he deserves the opportunity to face a top-shelf foe like Pacquiao.
Like Pacquiao, the 5-10 Abregu is also promoted by Top Rank and it won’t be a surprise if he ends up getting signed to face Pacquiao in the former Portuguese colony later this year.
Since losing to Bradley, Abregu, rated highly in the welterweight ranks, has racked up seven straight wins, stopping six.
Also on the short list of Pacquiao rivals include Danny Garcia and Jesse Vargas.
Arum said he expects to finalize all the details by the end of the month, in time for the return of Pacquiao from a family vacation.
Tapping somebody like Abregu as an opponent has its bright side for Pacquiao since the South American puncher won’t be asking for the moon and the stars like Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez and some other popular guys being floated as probable foes.
Pacquiao, 35, is coming off a revenge win over Bradley.