By Ronnie Nathanielsz

THE world?s no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao relinquished the World Boxing Council lightweight title he won via a ninth-round technical knockout of Chicago?s David Diaz last June at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman told www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports in an overseas telephone conversation from his home in Mexico that Pacquiao had sent him a letter of resignation of his title, ?because he says he is not going to fight anymore in the lightweight division.?

The WBC president said he thought that relinquishing the title at this stage was foolish. ?But if that?s what they want, what can I do??

Pacquiao?s Canadian adviser Michael Koncz, along with a couple of others in Team Pacquiao, has often made it clear that they were against the idea of fighting for a title and paying sanction fees, claiming that no matter who Pacquiao fights, even if no title is at stake, he would draw big numbers at the venue and on pay-per-view.

Sulaiman revealed that in the letter, which he received last Friday, Pacquiao informed him he would like to fight in the super lightweight division in the future.

?I hope that we can give him another opportunity in the super lightweight, but we?ll have to see what happens with Ricky Hatton in their showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2.?

Undefeated KO artist Edwin Valero, who has expressed his desire to fight Pacquiao in the future, faces veteran Antonio Pitalua for the Interim lightweight title on April 4. Valero, who recently signed with Top Rank, plans to fight in San Antonio, Texas, the only place in the US where he has been cleared to fight at this time.

Top Rank?s Bob Arum, in an overseas conversation with Standard Today, said a possible future fight with newly crowned World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto could be a massive fight for Pacquiao. ?But I haven?t talked to Freddie [Roach] about it because there is plenty

of time.?

Arum disclosed that Cotto is likely to fight on June 13, probably against Joshua Clottey, the reigning International Boxing Federation champion.

The Top Rank promoter said he had just gotten off the phone with Koncz, who informed him that Pacquiao was scheduled to appear at the British Embassy today to get his visa. He is set to leave for London at 6 a.m. on Friday.

The promotional tour stops in Hatton?s hometown of Manchester at the Trafford Center on Saturday and a Monday media conference in London, which may be held at the Imperial War Museum, will be highlighted by a side event which would pit Pacquiao vs Hatton in darts.

The Sun newspaper reported that Hatton will meet Pacquiao on the oche (which is the line where they shoot the darts from) with Phil Taylor, a friend of Hatton acting as referee at the Rover?s Return.