BOSTON ? WBC superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao is not likely to watch any of the NBA Finals games at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and that?s not because he?s rooting for the Boston Celtics.
Although Pacquiao has been based in LA since he left Manila last May 12 to open training camp at the Wild Card Gym, his adviser Michael Koncz told The Star yesterday in a phone interview he?s not cheering for the Lakers.
?Manny has gone to the Staples to watch Laker games,? said Koncz ?I don?t know why he?s now for the Celtics. Anyway, it?s too close to his fight (against David Diaz in Las Vegas on June 28) for him to take off and watch at the Staples. Besides, he?s got a 9 p.m. curfew. So he?ll probably just watch on a big screen TV in his apartment.?
Koncz also said it would be a major production if Pacquiao decides to go. ?He?ll want his friends to come along so that means thousands of dollars in tickets,? he added. ?Then, there?s the problem of parking. It?s just too much of a hassle and the games will end way past his curfew.?
The Lakers host Game 3 tomorrow (Wednesday morning, Manila) and Game 4 on Thursday (Friday morning, Manila) and if necessary, Game 5 on Sunday (Monday morning, Manila).
Koncz said Pacquiao will motor to San Diego in a 15-seat luxury coach to meet with Cox Communications executives on Wednesday. Cox is a major US digital cable distributor. The drive will take about three hours both ways and Pacquiao will proceed to train at the Wild Card Gym after returning to LA in the afternoon.
Pacquiao is also scheduled to make a public appearance at the Little Philippines Lake Street Park in Los Angeles at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday. He will train in the open-air park and mingle with the fans for about two hours then report to the Wild Card Gym for sparring.
On June 23, Pacquiao and Diaz will be featured in a press conference at a Los Angeles hotel after which the Filipino icon will head a motorcade to Las Vegas with his entourage for the traditional drive to the fight city. Another press conference is set in Las Vegas the Wednesday after.
Koncz confirmed two Filipinos will see action in the undercard at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. They are Pan Asia Boxing Association lightweight champion Dennis Laurente and Philippine superfeatherweight titlist Aaron Melgarejo. A third Filipino, Oriental lightweight ruler Randy Suico, was supposed to fight but failed to obtain a US visa.
Koncz said the Filipinos will not be included in the US pay-per-view telecast. The four fights in the US cable program are Pacquiao-Diaz, Humberto Soto-Francisco Lorenzo for the interim WBC superfeatherweight title, Monte Barrett-Tye Fields in a heavyweight tenner and Steve Luevano-Mario Santiago for the WBO featherweight crown.
Koncz said superbantamweight Bernabe Concepcion would?ve filled in for Suico but lost the spot when he flew back to Manila three weeks ago. Pacquiao himself summoned Concepcion to return to LA and he arrived alone last night.
?For Bernabe, it?s like building a house,? said Koncz. ?Freddie (Roach) took him in when he was rated No. 40 and now, he?s No. 4. Manny has spent a lot of time with him, transforming Bernabe not just into a good fighter but a good human being. We want to see how he has improved. If he does well in his next bout, he should be able to fight for a world title before the year ends.?
Concepcion is set to face Adam (El Torito) Carrera of Cathedral City, California, in the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito unification welterweight title fight in Las Vegas on July 26.
Carrera, 25, has a 19-3 record, with eight KOs, and lost his last outing to Juan Carlos Burgos on a third round stoppage in August last year. Concepcion, 20, has not lost in his last 18 fights and boasts a record of 25-1-1, with 14 KOs.
Koncz said Concepcion will not challenge IBF superbantamweight champion Steve Molitor of Canada. ?Bernabe is being groomed to be another Manny, an exciting slugger,? he went on. ?Molitor is a slick fighter like (Juan Manuel) Marquez so the consensus is he?s not a good match for Bernabe because they make for an unexciting fight. We?re awaiting the outcome of the Daniel Ponce de Leon-Juan Manuel Lopez bout for the WBO superbantamweight title. We?ll watch the fight closely to see if Bernabe is ready to challenge the winner.?
