Top Rank chief Bob Arum said yesterday that Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao has seen the light and will honor his contract with Solar Sports, a development the Hall of Fame promoter said would bring tranquility and order back into his training camp.
“Manny has realized that he has to do what is right,” Arum said from Las Vegas when asked about the controversy about the broadcast rights of his May 2 bout with Ricky Hatton.
“You can?t sell what?s already been sold,” said Arum, implying that Solar Sports ? and not ABS-CBN ? which has rights over the broadcast of the Pacquiao-Hatton bout.
Arum has spoken to key members of Team Pacquiao and that a personage from the Philippines is on his way to Los Angeles to bring the fighter out of a deep hole.
Part of Pacquiao?s contract with Arum is his ownership of the Philippine broadcast rights of his fights.
A few days ago, Pacquiao came out on ABS-CBN and announced that he has decided to rescind his contract with Solar Sports and that the giant network has assumed control not only of the Hatton fight but the succeeding fights as well.
Solar Sports strongly protested Pacquiao?s actions and ABS-CBN?s entry into the picture, saying that the company has a live and valid contract with the boxer until May 2011.
While Solar Sports and ABS-CBN and even GMA 7 ? the network that Solar Sports tapped to show Pacquiao fights ? exchange verbal jabs, Pacquiao showed up for training at the Wild Card in Hollywood looking and acting as if everything is well in his native land.
Pacquiao sparred for four rounds with Japan-based Venezuelan Jorge Linares on Thursday (Friday in Manila) and his adviser Mike Koncz said “Manny looked absolutely great.”
The unbeaten Linares is the current World Boxing Association super-feather champion.
When he is not in training, Pacquiao shoots some scenes for the 24/7 program that HBO will use as promotional material.
