DREAMING IN DECEMBER OF A LEGACY FIGHT
By Recah Trinidad
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 Dec 2011
THE Fight, at its closest, remained purely a wish, on top of Freddie Roach?s list.
This was nearly a week ago, days after the multi-awarded trainer was also accused of suffering Parkinson moments in the thick of battle, when Juan Manuel Marquez proceeded to hit and outwit Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Las Vegas on Nov. 13.
Yesterday, there was nothing clear about the dream bout between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., after the flamboyant former world pound-for-pound boxing king cried out he was signing the contract shortly.
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?God don?t make mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. I?m undefeated for a reason,? he told Fightnews.com.? It?s not about money.. Why shouldn?t I be getting $60, $ $70 or $100. I proved I should get it. Nobody has beaten me. Like I said May 5, let?s do it. I don?t want to hear no ifs, ands or buts, let?s do it. I do it for my kids but I do it for fans too.?
Sorry, but The Fight was as distant, at best only a teaser, as the blessed month of December dawned.
For some backgrounder and updates, we buttonholed fight expert Hermie Rivera, newly returned from California, who had quietly stayed in the background during the off-and-on negotiations.
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?Manny has been gypped on his rightful earnings in several fights; hence the mad scramble of Bob Arum to ram his way into staying as the Pacman?s promoter,? Hermie explains. ?Arum is queasy setting up a fourth match (his first choice) between Pacquiao and Marquez to silence a move by authorities probing into the secretive training scheme allegedly employed by Marquez adviser (Angel Heredia, Memo Hernandez) who handled his conditioning for The Battle for four months at their Romanza Gym Quarters in Mexico City.?
First result of the stealthy yet highly effective scheme, Hermie claims, was a 1st round KO of a patsy in Cancun.
?After all had been set in place and JMM deemed fit to battle MP, JuanMa profusely thanked Heredia for the fine job, and dared officials to subject him to a test, knowing all too well he would pass it easily. That was the reason Manny failed to deck Marquez even once. Heredia was not around in their first two fights. Right??
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Hermie says the rhubarb after the battle at MGM?S Grand Arena will have a sobering look only after Pacquiao?s next ring appearance is finalized and that?ll come after the Christmas holidays ? ?as decreed by the Sarangani congressman himself.?
Meanwhile, Hermie says Arum was seeing once again the need of getting hot rivals Pacquiao and Marquez with a promise of a huge raise on their pay checks.
?This is where Arum is meeting opposition from the rival cabal. Golden Boy wants to match Top Rank?s cash cow against its own hot draw,? Hermie explains. ?A Middle East group?awash with cash?wants a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout featured in their backyard.
And, mind you, the Philippines is very much in the mix for a Pacquiao-Mayweather legacy fight in Manila.?
Pacquiao is taking his time before deciding what best to do.
Marquez is back in his native Mexico, crying that old familiar refrain ?I wuz robbed.?
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The doubts lingered, what would however become clear was the reason Mayweather finally stopped avoiding direct confrontation with Pacquiao. There was no doubt Mayweather was emboldened, blood returned to his face, after drooling over the chinks in Pacquiao?s armor during the Nov. 13 duel in Las Vegas.
In a stunning declaration, Arum stated at the Trinity Boxing Club in New York yesterday that ?Floyd Jr. is our priority.?
Pacquiao had himself insisted a fight with Mayweather should be a great one.
He said he would love to see it happen soon.
How soon?
Your guess could only be as wild as that of the seer who predicted the slippery Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won?t be clamped behind bars.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Recah Trinidad.
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