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Byma. Ester L. Espina, Correspondent
BACOLOD CITY: In a week or so, Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao
says his camp will decide if they will push through with his bout
against Ricky Hatton of the United Kingdom.
As of Friday night, Pacquiao said Hatton’s
camp offered a 52-48 split, with the Filipino champ getting the
slightly bigger share. Hatton’s camp had originally offered a
50-50 split, which Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, is also pushing.
Apparently, Pacquiao’s Filipino handlers do
not see eye to eye with the Filipino champ’s American allies, as
reports have it that Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, is also
favoring a 50-50 split. Earlier, Arum said Pacquiao and Hatton’s
camp favored a 50-50 split of the revenues to be generated from the
fight, which is expected to reach almost $60 million.
In an interview with The Ring magazine online,
Roach even called Franklin Gacal, Pacquiao’s lawyer, a “bad
guy” at the height of the disagreements during the negotiations
between the camps of Pacquiao and Hatton. Roach has refused to speak
with Gacal, who has been insisting that the Filipino champ get the
bigger share of the revenues of the bout.
But it looks like Arum and Roach are not going
to get their way.
“If they [Hatton’s camp] will not adjust [to
52-48], I will just look for someone else to fight with,” Pacquiao
said.
Pacquiao is in Bacolod to lend support to the
Amateur Boxing Association’s National Open Youth and Women’s
Amateur Boxing Championship, which will be held at the Negros
Occidental Multi-Purpose Center.
The boxing champ said his camp does not want to
“make mistakes,” and will not allow themselves to be outwitted
by foreigners.
Pacquiao said his last offer to Hatton would be
a 55-45 sharing or there would be no fight at all.
Pacquiao also said his camp is now in
negotiations with the camp of former pound-for-pound king Floyd
Mayweather Jr. adding he is willing to fight with anyone.
By Monday or early next week, Pacquiao said he
hopes to get a positive response from the Hatton’s camp.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao vowed to give time to
supervise the training of amateur boxers who may have mettle to
compete in the 2012 Olympics.
He said that while he may not be able to train
them personally, he would make sure that the country would produce
very good amateur boxers for the Olympics.
In the Bacolod Open, experts will be choosing at
least 30 boxers who have international potential. Some of the chosen
boxers will have the opportunity to attend the Manny Pacquiao Boxing
Academy and will be mentored by the champ himself.
“I will personally escort our pugilists in the
2012 Olympics in London,” Pacquiao added.
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