12.01.09 – by James Slater – Hopefully it will prove to become nothing but a forgotten issue in a few days’ time, but according to news currently floating around the internet, the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight we all thought was a done deal for May 2nd is still nothing of the kind..
This from ABS CBN 5 News: The camp of Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao said Monday that it has yet to sign the contract for Pacquiao’s May 2nd showdown against Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas due to a disagreement in the sharing of fight proceeds.
“We have informed Bob Arum that we are not signing the contract. Manny is not content with what is laid on the table,” Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin “Geng” Gacal said. “If the figures won’t move, we will look for another [challenger].”
This is depressing news indeed. So far, there has been no world from anyone from the Hatton camp, but it is to be hoped an agreement can be reached. As the genuine superstar of the pair, along with being the pound-for-pound king at present, Pacquiao perhaps deserves the lion’s share of the cash (reportedly Manny wants a 60-40 split in his favour). But then again, Hatton is a proven master at selling tickets by the thousands to his loyal British followers – no matter where the fight is held.
None of this will mean too much to the average fight fan though. All we want is for the two sensationally exciting warriors to get it on. With the millions of dollars the two will be sharing, there will surely be enough for both men – no matter how the purse is divided. It would be a crying shame if this potentially great and memorable fight were lost due to something as tawdry as money. Sure, boxing, like any sport, is a business; but surely Manny and Ricky care more these days about their future reputations and places in boxing history.
Both men have already earned small fortunes and it is to be hoped they can put aside any unnecessary pettiness and get the fight signed. Actually, I may be doing Hatton a disservice by writing THEY when referring to this matter. After all, so far it appears as though only Pacquiao is holding up the fight. Yes, in all likelihood the all-time great does deserve the bigger purse – it now seems as though Team-Hatton will have to decide if they are willing to let Manny have it.