Thursday, June 07, 2007 10M dollar for Barrera fight By Rommel C. Manlosa Sun.Star Staff Reporter
MANNY Pacquiao has arrived in New York and while he will be busy shaking hands and hobnobbing with his fans and other boxing luminaries, his mind will have to process endless possibilities in the next few days.
Sun.Star Cebu learned form a source that aside from Golden Boy Promotion’s promise to make the Filipino ring icon a legend if he jumps to their side of the fence, a fat purse awaits Pacquiao if he will agree to fight Marco Antonio Barrera in a rematch.
“It’s a fat eight-digit amount, which could refill his depleted bank account,” the source said.
With $10 million dollars as the lowest possible eight-figure amount, Pacquiao could make at least P460 million—or less if the dollar weakens some more—from the purse alone.
However, just like most things in the world of boxing, there is a catch.
The rematch must be promoted only by Oscar de la Hoya’s GBP.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s Cebuano confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud, who left for the US yesterday to join Pacquiao in receiving his Boxer of the Year Award on June 8 by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), said he has no knowledge about such offer.
“I still don’t know, but I hope that would be true because it will be good for his (Manny’s) future. But I believe it is hard to convince him because he has his loyalty to (Bob) Arum,” Salud said.
Arum’s Top Rank and GBP are currently locked in a legal battle as to which outfit really has the rights to promote Pacquiao.
The source said Barrera is pressuring his partners at GBP for a rematch with Pacquiao before he hangs up his gloves . His take in this fight is half of what Pacquiao will get.
“Pacquiao has a good future with Golden Boy rather than with Top Rank. He will have to fight three or four times a year to get the amount GBP offered for only one fight,” the source added.
According to the source, Top Rank offers Pacquiao a minimum of $2 million per fight and a 50 percent cut from whatever profit Arum makes out of his fight.
Since signing with Arum, Pacquiao has only fought once—against Jorge Solis—and is set to make another fight this September.
If the reported offer by GBP is true and Pacquiao again shifts camp, this could help his financial situation as he has reportedly spent some P140 million in his failed quest to take the congressional seat from Darlene Antonino- Custodio.
A report in mannypacquiao.ph also said that Pacquiao has withdrawn all of his money from a local thrift bank in General Santos, causing a brief panic among its depositors.
“Manny is in deep money trouble and GBP’s offer comes in a time when he needs the money most,” the source added. For his part, Salud is adopting a wait-and-see approach.
“I might be privy to the negotiations when Manny will tell me to hear what Golden Boy will offer. Right now everything is hanging—including who his next opponent will be. We will know what will happen when I will meet Manny in New York,” Salud said.
