52-48 PPV shares plus $12 million guarantee for Pacquiao push the May 2 fight forward

Manny Pacquiao has accepted the 52-48 deal in Pay Per View (PPV) sales in his favor and a $12 million guarantee for his mega buck fight on May two against Britain's best Ricky Hatton.

According to the report, Manny accepted the deal after his friend and confidant Rex "Wakee" Salud downed three bottles of beer. Salud, who does not drink, was challenged by Pacquiao who said he would accept the contract if Salud would down three bottles of beer, which Salud did.

In an La Times report, Bob Arum, Top Rank's chief and promoter of Pacquiao, explained to reporters that Pacquiao's people felt that Ricky Hatton was disrespectful towards Pacquiao when Hatton set a deadline and demanded that Pacquiao should seal the deal within that deadline.

It's not about money. It's about respect, or lack of it which caused the delay of the signing of the contract, explained Arum who intends to fly to the Philippines with trainer Freddie Roach to talk with Pacquiao and convince him to sign the deal. But with the news that Pacquiao has accepted the deal, Arum and Roach might still be flying to the Philippines, this time to conduct a press conference to formally announce the deal.

Pacquiao was demanding a 60 percent PPV share of the income, or 55 percent plus the $12 million dollar guarantee. By taking the deal, Pacquiao settled with 52-48, 3 percent lower PPV share than previously demanded, although he gets the $12 million dollars. The $12 million is one million dollar higher than his guarantee purse in his fight with Dela Hoya on December 6 last year.

Although Pacquiao received the $11 million dollar in his fight with Dela Hoya, Dela Hoya got the 68 percent of the PPV sales while Pacquiao only had the 32 percent. Pacquiao must have taken the deal only to get a chance to prove to the world he was a better man.

Surely, Pacquiao must have felt slighted or even robbed by that condition but he could not do anything since it was him who needed to prove himself.

If we put things into perspective, a 60 percent share is not so much to ask considering that Pacquiao is now known as, or even more popular than Dela Hoya himself. The 60 percent PPV share Manny was asking would have been too much had we not known that Dela Hoya got the 68 percent of the share.

If Top Rank and Golden Boy promotions could afford to give Oscar Dela Hoya a 68 percent share of the PPV, I wondered why they could not give Pacquiao the only 60 percent he was demanding for. That is 8 percent less than what they havd given to a man who only stood inside the ring to be Pacquiao's punching bag!

Hatton's camp was bragging that they are going to bring in British money, and because of that, Hatton will be bringing in a lion's share. But if we come to think of it, why did they decide to stage the fight in the US and not in Britain if Hatton could indeed bring a lot more money from Britain?

With Pacquiao accepting the deal, all these arguments are nothing but moot and academic.

We wish Pacquiao good luck and demand that he punish Hatton and bring him to the floor on May 2.

'More ego than money'

N.B. I have received traffic from outside the Philippines with 100% bouncing rate, so I decided to write in English.

For the past few days we have been discussing money and its effects to the sport (boxing) we all love. How, for example, someone like World Boxing Organization bantam weight champion Gerry Peñalosa contributes to the death of the sport by promoting lousy fights.

Yesterday, we also talked about how the recent disagreement on the income sharing between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton is causing an embarassment and headache to their respective promoters, especially Bob Arum of Top Rank who had been so vocal and so excited about the fight.

The second is the most controversial one mainly because of the respect and the fame of the people involved. After Pacquiao's fight with Oscar "Black and Blue" Dela Hoya, Pacquiao and Hatton's team, Top Rank and Golden Boy promotions reportedly met and agreed on a 50-50 split for the fight between the two world's greatest fighters, Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. They have also set a date, May 2, and the venue, Las Vegas.

When Manny Pacquiao however arrived in Manila, his lawyer Franklin "Geng" Gacal gave interview on ABS-CBN saying Manny Pacquiao deserves a 60-40 split of the income in his fight with Hatton. Pacquio's close friend and adviser Rex "Wakee" Salud seconded Gacal, although it was reported yesterday that he had changed his mind and instead he promised to convince Pacquiao to accept the 50-50 deal.

Those pronouncement by Geng and Wakee (before he changed his mind) were repeated and aired in different media outlets. The same pronouncement peeved Bob Arum considering that both were not present during the negotiation where the 50-50 split was agreed upon.

Which led us to question, how come a negotiation happened without Pacquio's lawyer by his side? Who were the peole around Pacquiao during the negotiations?

With all the support Bob Arum had shown to Pacquiao (attending his birthday party in GenSan, and the other occasion were Bob went to GenSan), we did not believe Bob Arum would put Manny's interest in jeopardy by promoting a fight were Manny will get less than what he deserves. But with the reaction his lawyer and his statements after his arrival in Manila, it seemed to me that Manny had lost his trust in Bob Arum. Manny even had the courage to say yesterday that if his promoters could not come up with an offer better than a 50-50 for him, his fight with Ricky Hatton will not happen.

Ray Hatton, Ricky's father, and Gareth Williams, Ricky's lawyer, warned Pacquiao that they already had a verbal agreement and that, if needed, they would go to court to inforce that contract. Besides, they claim they were reasonable even from the beginning saying that: 1. They agreed on the US location although they would have preferred UK, 2. They agreed on a May 2 fight although they would have preferred a schedule later in May. Besides, they claim, Ricky will bring in a lot of money from UK's television networks. So in terms of money, Ricky is bringing in a lion's share, one of them stated.

All those arguments did not convince Pacquiao. But for some reasons, after talking with Bob Arum, Pacquiao's close friend and adviser Rex "Wakee" Salud changed his mind and promised to convince Manny to agree on a 50-50 split.

In the newspaper today, Bob Arum promised that he will find a solution and was quoted as saying: "when we are involved in this type of situation it very, very frankly becomes more ego than money. It takes time to massage every body and get it done. But if I were a betting man, I would say it will happen before the end of this weekend."

Surely, Arum was referring to Manny Pacquiao's ego when he said "it...becomes more ego than money." It is Manny Pacquiao alone who is complaining anyway, and it was he who beat Osacar used to be "Golden Boy" Dela Hoya, the highest paid boxer in the world.

Arum was further quoted: "Wise guy Floyd Mayweather Jr. pushed and pushed and got 60-40 deal and gave up the English television rights, sacrificed his share of $18 million."

We hope they resolve this problem because more than ever, the world is excited to see Manny and Ricky kill each other in the ring. If not the world, at least the Philippines will surely freeze when that day comes; and with Bob Arum's experience in dealing with boxers, coupled with his promise that he will find a solution, we are positive that the fight will happen.

As to Manny, he has gone a long way and we have seen him grow in size, speed, skill and in his faith. He has fought fearlessly and triumphed in the ring. But he is to fight another of his greatest personnal fights. A fight he has to wage not agaisnt a person who punches back, but against himself. He will need more than his speed and his skill as a boxer to be humble enough to admit and to correct whatever mistakes and miscalculations he has committed leading to his fight with England's best, Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton.

Walang katapusang problema sa pera

Hindi pa natin nalaman ang kasagutan sa marami nating tanong kahapon, heto nanaman ang isa pang malaking problema.

Pagkatapos sabihin ni Bob Arum na masaya si Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao sa naging usapan nila na 50-50 split sa laban niya kay Ricky Hatton, eto ngayon ang Pambansang Kamao nagsasalita sa dyaryo na di mangyayari ang laban nila kung hindi 60-40 ang split, o kaya'y di manlang umangat sa 50 ang share niya sa kita ng laban nila ni Hatton.

Kaya magandang balikan ang tanong natin kahapon: Ano ang mga sirkomstansyang nakapaligid noong ginanap ang usapan tungkol sa laban nila ni Hatton kung saan sila ng verbal na kasunduan na ang paghahatian nila ng 50-50 ang kita sa kanilang laban? Sino ang kasama ni Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao noong ginanap itong deal na ito?

Maganda at importanteng masagot ang mga tanong na ito, lalong-lalo na ang pangalawa dahil nong naganap ang usapang ito, wala sa tabi ni Manny ang kanyang Abogado na si Franklin "Geng" Gacal. Kaya naiinis si Bob Arum at si Gareth Williams, abogado ni Hatton, nang magpainterview si Gacal at sinabing 65-35 ang nararapat na hatian sa laban ni Pacquiao at Hatton, 65 kaw Pacquaio.

Nasabi na natin kahapon na hindi naman siguro kayang pabayaan ni Bob Arum, promotor ni Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, si Manny. At di naman niya siguro hahayaang madihado si Manny sa hatian sa kita.

Pero, kung pagbabasihan ang balita ngayong araw sa dyaryo, mukha yatang kabaligtaran ng ating inaasahan ang nangyari. Pagkatapos iwaragwag sa buong mundo na done-deal na ang laban ni Pacquiao at Hatton sa Mayo 2 sa hatiang 50-50, bakit umaangal ngayon si No. 1 pound for pound boxer of the world Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao?

Sabi pa ni Pacquiao, bibigyan daw niya sina Bob Arum at Richard Scheifer ng hanggang sa Pebrero para iadjust ang hatian pabor sa kanya. Kung hindi daw nila magawa ito, walang laban ang magaganap.

Aba, si No. 1 pound for pound boxer of the world Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao na ngayon ang nananakot!

Sandali lang...hindi ba, gaya ng nasulat ko na rin dito, ang problema ni Peñalosa sa Golden Boy Promotions ay nag-ugat din sa hatian ng pera? Bakit pati si Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao ay napapasabak narin sa ganitong gulo?

Kung isipin mo nga naman, si Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao na ngayon ang pumalit sa bugbog sarado na si Oscar "Golden Boy" Dela Hoya --at syempre, alam niyo narin na "Black and Blue" na ang palayaw ni Oscar ngayon pagkatapos siyang bugbogin ni Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, ang No. 1 pound for pound boxer hindi lang sa Pilipinas, kundi sa buong mundo.

Pagkatapos niyang kawawain si Black and Blue, mas lalong nakilala siya sa buong mundo. Kaya ngayon pati ang fans ni Oscar "Black and Blue" Dela Hoya ay fans na rin ni Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao! Wag ka! Pati si Oscar "Black and Blue" Dela Hoya nga fan na rin ni Pacquiao. Naaalala niyo ang sinabi ni Pacquiao kay Oscar "Black and Blue" Dela Hoya nang lumapit ito kay Pacquiao bilang pagsuko sa laban? Sabi ni Manny, "You are still my idol." Sagot ni Oscar, "No, you are now my idol." Ang tingin ko nga doon, pakonswelo nalang yon ni Manny ang sinabi niya kay Black and Blue. Paano mo naman bubogbugin ang idol mo, kung totoong idol mo siya? E di sana si Manny na lang ang nagpabogbog? Minsan hindi mo rin maunawa ang kalaliman ng isip at kaooban nitong si Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao.

Balik tayo sa usapan ng hatian--paano na ba ngayon yan? Eh kung di na matutuloy ang laban nina Manny at Hatton, hindi narin matutuloy ang holiday ng mga lansangan at mga kriminal lalong-lalo na ang mga petty kriminal. Kawawa naman ang bansa natin. Mabilis masira ang mga lansangan, at maraming mawawalan ng ari-arian pati narin buhay.

In the end, wala naman tayong magagawa kundi maghintay lang kung anong laban ang ipapalabas ng Top Rank ni Arum at ng Golden Boy ni Dela Hoya. Siyempre, sa atin na iyon kung papanoorin natin o hindi. Lumaban man si Pacquiao ulit o hindi, ano naman sa kanya iyon dahil mayaman na siya. Ang sa atin lang, malulungkot tayo dahil di natin marelive ang ating pantasyang tayong mga Pinoy ay nangbubogobg ng mga dayuhan.

Nakakapagod seryusuhin ang pera, lalong-lalo na kapag wala ka noon. Nakakapanghina ng loob, nakakabaliw, at minsan pa, nakakamatay. Tuloy, ayaw ko ng makialam sa kanila. Luyag kong sabihin problema nyo na iyon, di naman kami kumikita dyan. Pero, paano bang hindi mag-alala ang isang baliw kay Pacquiao na tulad ko kung hindi matutuloy ang bakbakan nila ni Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao? Parang walang saysay ang buhay. Walang aksyon.

Sya nga pala, kinausap na ni Bob Arum si Rex "Wakee" salud at nakombinse ito ni Arum na profitable ang 50-50 deal. Gagawin daw niya ang lahat para mapapayag narin si Pac sa ganoong hatian. Pero, habang sinasabi niya iyon, ayon, nandoon din si Pacquiao nagsasabi na kung di 60-40 and hatian, o di kaya'y umangat manlang ng kaunti, walang laban na mangyayari.

Si Ronnie Nathanielsz ang susi upang maliwanagan ang Filipino sa panibagong gulo sa pera nina Pacquiao at Hatton

Kakasulat ko lang kahapon tungkol sa pagpatay sa boksing dahil sa pera. Ngayon, meron na namang panibagong hindi magandang balita mula sa only boxing news source ko na si Ronnie Nathanielsz.

Nalalathala sa Manila Standards Todays ngayong araw ang tungkol sa maaaring pagsampa ng kaso ng kampo ni Ricky Hatton laban kina Manny Pacquiao dahil umano sa mga pahayag ng Abogado ni Pacquiao na si Franklin "Geng" Gacal. Sinabi ni Gacal kay Dyan Castillejo ng ABS-CBN pagdating na pagdating ni Manny noon Lunes ng umaga, na luyag nila ay 60-40 split. Ibig sabihin, 60 porsyento ng kita ang mapupunta kay Manny at 40 porsyento lang ang mapupunta kay Ricky.

Wala naman sana itong problema kung ang kampo ni Manny, Ricky, ang Golden Boy Promotions na promotor ni Ricky, at ang Top Rank na promotor ni Manny, ay hindi pa nagkasundo sa 50-50 split. Masaya naman daw noon si Manny sa naging kasunduan, sabi ng Bob Arum.

Kahit sabihin natin na verbal agreement lang iyon, binding parin iyon sa mga partido at naniniwala ako na pweding-pwedi talaga sampahan ng kaso si Manny, either para kanselahin ang kontrata, o di kaya'y pilitin si Manny na lumaban kay Ricky. At kahit saan doon sa dalawa, kung mangyari, maaring magbabayad si Manny ng milyong-milyong halaga para sa danyos.

Ayon kay Bob Arum, ang nagpasama lang sa usapan ay ang pahayag ni Gacal at ni Rex "Wakee" Salud na 65-35 split ang nararapat kay Pacquiao, samantalang wala naman ang dalawa noong nangyari ang negosasyon.

Hindi kaya ginagawa ito ng dalawa, lalong-lano na ni Geng Gacal na abogado ni Manny, dahil luyag lang niyang protektahan si Manny?

Nakakapagtataka nga. Bakit nangyari ang negosasyon na wala ang abogado ni Manny? Sino ang kasama ni Manny sa negosasyon?

Ayon kay Bob Arum, umaasta ng ganyan (nagbibigay ng ibat-ibang interview sa ibat-ibang istasyon o pahayagan ng dyaryo o TV) si Gacal para masigurado ang malaking bayad kay Pacquiao.

Pero, bumabalik talaga ang tanong: bakit nagkaroon ng negosasyon na wala ang abogado ni Manny? Sino ang kasama ni Manny sa negosasyon? Mga tanong na dapat yata hanapan ng only source ko ng mga sagot.

Ayon sa ulat ng only source ko, pinapahiwatig ni Arum na kung hindi magkaroon ng kasunduan tungkol sa 50-50 split, maaring hindi mangyayari ang bakbakan nina Pacquiao at Hatton. "He told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times he could care less". Kung sa atin pa, parang sinabi ni Arum: "Sige, magiinarte kayo, di natin itutuloy ang labang ito. Bahala kayo. Wala akong pakialam."

Noong ininterview ng British Broad Casting (BBC) si Gareth Williams, abogado ni Hatton, sinabi nito na bahala si Gacal kung paano niya lulusutan ang problemang ito. Ang pagkakaalam lang daw ni Gareth, nagkaroon na sila ng kasunduan na 50-50 lang ang split, at hindi na sosobra pa doon; at kung makarating na daw sa kanya ang balita na opisyal ng kinansela ang kontrata, magsasampa na lang daw siya ng kaso.

Sabi ni Ray, tatay ni Hatton, at Gereth, naging madali naman daw silang kausap simulat-simula pa. Noong una, luyag nilang sa Britanya isagawa ang laban kung saang siguradong magkakaroon 100,000 fight fans, pero pinagpaliban daw nila ito dahil narin sa paki-usap ng Top Rank, Golden Boy, at ng ibat-ibang telebisyon network sa America na sa Las Vegas na gaganapin ang laban.

Noong una, hiningi din daw nila na sa katapusan na ng Mayo isasagawa ang laban pero pumayag na rin daw sila sa Mayo 2.

Pwede naman daw na nagmayabang sila at pinilit na ang gusto nilang lugar at petsa ang masusunod dahil mas marami silang mahahakot na pera, pero di daw nila ginawa dahil mas inisip nila na patas lang ang kontribusyon ng bawat isa.

Inamin ni Williams na si Manny ay mahusay na mandirigma, pinapanood ng marami, at kilala bilang numero unong pound for pound na bosidor sa buong mundo na luyag kalabanin ni Hatton. Pero, alam naman daw nila na hindi pangkaraniwang kalaban si Hatton na makakalaban ni Pacquiao dahil si Hatton ang magdadala ng pera mula sa ibat-bang telebisyon sa Britanya at mula sa napakaraming British fans. Kaya daw, kung pera ang pag-uusapan, mas malaki ang mahahakot ni Hatton."

Parang di ko alam kung ano ang magiging reaksyon ko dito dahil ang balitang ito'y sinasapawan ng mga tanong na sa tingin ko kasing importante ng usaping ito: bakit nagkaroon ng negosasyon na wala ang abogado ni Manny? Sino ang kasama ni Manny sa negosasyon?

Subalit, kung naitatanong natin ito, para narin natin pinagdudahan ang integridad ni Bob Arum na promotor ni Pacquiao. Siguro naman hindi pababayaan ni Bob Arum si Pacquiao, at hindi hahayaan ni Bob Arum na madihado si Pacquiao sa usapin ng pera.

Gayon pa man, mas maliliwanagan tayo, at siguro mas makapag-isip ng mas maayos, kung malaman natin kung paano nangyari ang negosasyon, at sino ang kasama ni Manny. Sinadya ba nila, na hindi lang nagpapahalata, na magkaroon ng negosasyon na wala ang abogado ni Manny? Sino ba ang may pakana.

Ang sagot sa mga tanong na ito ay inaasahan ko lang sa iisang tao: si Ronnie Nathanielsz.

Sir, tulungan mo kaming sagutin ang aming mga tanong.