PACQUIAO VS. MATTHYSSE VS. ARUM
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 Mar 2018
Manny Pacquiao?s lawyer Eldibrando Viernesto asserted that his client?s contract with Top Rank has already expired and that Pacquiao is free to make his own promotional acts. Pacquiao recently snubbed a fight against Mike Alvarado proposed by Top Rank and instead organized a fight against Lucas Matthysse under his own MP Promotions, in coordination with Golden Boy Promotions who handles Matthysse.
?I reviewed the contract and I found out that Bob Arum has no more say even in the rematch, should there be any, between Manny Pacquiao and Australian boxer Jeff Horn,? Viernesto was quoted by philstar.com.
Pacquiao's media relations officer Aquiles Zonio cited Top Rank of aborting two fights Pacquiao started to organize outside of the United States.
?In two separate occasions, Arum called up Pacquiao?s financiers threatening to file a lawsuit if Top Rank is not included in the promotion. They cowed in fear resulting to the scrapping of the fight," Zonio wrote in philboxing.com.
One of those lucrative fights would be the proposed clash against Amir Khan that Pacquiao said he was negotiating last year. Arum allegedly knew Pacquiao was offered big money from financiers in Dubai. And with Top Rank now being blamed of trying to sink a Malaysian offer to fight Matthysse, Pacquiao is said to be determined to continue that deal on his own initiatives.
Arum insists Pacquiao is still connected with his company, and he plans of Top Rank participating in the promotion of his next fight if he faces WBA regular welterweight champion Lucas Matthysse on June 24 in Malaysia.
Had Pacquiao fought Amir Khan and won last year it would have boosted his career and probably would not be on a downhill. But Arum let Pacquiao face Jeff Horn, who is also under Top Rank, and the fighting senator was badly bullied and beaten by a controversial 12 round decision last July in Australia.
Pacquiao was also persuaded by Arum to match Jessie Vargas and Timothy Bradley who are also Top Rank boxers. Public interest is very low for the third Pacquiao-Bradley encounter, which was obviously an easy fight for Manny. The Pacquiao-Vargas fight is another less interesting match.
If Pacquiao is no longer connected with Arum and Top Rank, he is free to negotiate with Golden Boy Promotions who has a deal with Matthysse. If the investors in Malaysia could not put up the money then it could be a problem for the fight for June.
Is a legal battle looming? Arum insists Pacquiao is still with Top Rank. Pacquiao fought for Arum all these years, and he made his promotional company earn a lot of money.
According to sports analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino, Viernesto disclosed to him in an exclusive interview that the 2014 deal was signed by Pacquiao on April 19, 2014, just seven days after the Bradley rematch.
"This was a four-fight contract with one fight remaining from the 2006 deal, which makes the (2014 deal) five fights in all," said Viernesto. "From the date of the signing, Pacquiao fought Chris Algieri, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas and Jeff Horn. That makes it five fights in all," Viernesto told Tolentino in spin.ph.
The 2014 contract has been finished and Pacquiao's remaining obligation is the rematch with Horn without any timetable. Horn already faced another opponent in Gary Corcoran after the Pacquiao fight and is scheduled to battle Terence Crawford. Pacquiao can also fight Matthysse without Top Rank's intervention because their hold on Pacquiao is limited to the Horn rematch.
"That fight (rematch with Horn) is not (even) immediate," added Viernesto. "In fact, Horn already fought once (against Gary Corcoran)."
The match-making that Pacquiao has undergone since his fight with Mayweather is not that impressive. According to Chris Williams of boxingnews24.com: "If you look at the three fights that Arum put him in against Tim Bradley, Jessie Vargas and Jeff Horn, it?s no wonder why Pacquiao hasn?t brought in huge ratings. Those were bad choices for Pacquiao. He should have been fighting guys like Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia."
Golden Boy Promotions will not make the Pacquiao-Matthysse fight happen if the Malaysian investment does not come out. Without the money, it would be difficult to finance the match since it?s not a prime fight and not enough to sell on PPV in the U.S.
If Top Rank and Pacquiao are no longer connected and dropped his long-time trainer Freddie Roach, then Pacqiuiao is on a fresh start. Williams added: "It?ll be interesting to see if Pacquiao is able to turn things around. With the right kind of match-making and a couple of big wins, Pacquiao could become a top fighter again."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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