Manny Pacquiao will not agree to be on equal footing with British Ricky Hatton in terms of the revenue split for their close-to-being-made match on May 2 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao returned to the country yesterday after spending the holidays in Los Angeles without the official fight contract that Top Rank big boss Bob Arum had envisioned Pacquiao would have in his possession.
Arum and Hatton?s promoter Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) had told the worldwide press that everything is in place for Pacquiao-Hatton and that only the choice of venue is being discussed before a formal announcement is made.
GBP wants a 50-50 sharing of the entire pot according to Arum and since Hatton has tremendous drawing power in England, where his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007 generated over one million buys, Top Rank appears to be inclined in agreeing to a half-and-half format.
But Pacquiao, who had to settle for 67-33 when he faced Oscar De La Hoya last year, doesn?t want to stoop low for the second straight time.
Pacquiao assumed the role of boxing?s standard-bearer with his smashing eighth-round stoppage of De La Hoya.
Earlier, Pacquiao?s Cebu confidant Wakee Salud expressed the belief that Manny deserves not only the juicier, but the bigger slice of the pie as well, being boxing?s top attraction.
“I think 60-40 (in favor of Pacquiao) is good enough,” said Salud.
Pacquiao?s business manager Eric Pineda noted that while it is true that Hatton made a killing in the Mayweather match, the pay-per-view numbers for his last bout in the UK ? an easy TKO of Paulie Malignaggi last Nov. 22 ? was surprisingly low.
In the event that GBP plays it hard on Pacquiao?s demand, there?s going to be no other choice but to look elsewhere for another fight.
Still, Pineda believes the other party will eventually give in.
“They have no place to go,” said Pineda.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao will grace the opening rites of this Saturday?s National Amateur Boxing Championships in Bacolod City.
Pacquiao flew to General Santos City after the Philippine Airlines jet he boarded in Los Angeles landed in Manila. He was joined by lawyer Franklin Gacal.
