Whether he meant to or not, Manny Pacquiao agent Michael Koncz, the man who routinely puts in 20-hour days toiling for his Bossman, has let the cat out of the bag.
Now I don’t mean a feline type cat, one that Manny’s cute little dog Pacman might frolic or fight with, I mean the proverbial cat out of the bag when it comes to Pacquiao’s April 16 bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Speaking to Manila Bulletin scribe Nick Giongco, Koncz expressed his total preference for 39 year old Sugar Shane Mosley as Pacman’s spring opponent and did not apparently even mention trilogy bout hopeful Juan Manuel Marquez or way back in third place “contender,” Andre Berto.
Berto’s getting lip service, nothing more and smart guys named DiBella and Haymon, they know this.
But back to Koncz.
To hear the Canadian Clubber tell it, one promo theme for the 4/16 event will be whether Manny can accomplish what Floyd Mayweather Jr. did not on May 1, when he was rattled in the second round but came back to take wide decision after 12 rounds.
The question before the boxing masses, Koncz said, will be if Pacman can knock Mosley out, where neither the undefeated Mayweather nor any of Mosley’s other foes through 53pro bouts (Mosley is 46-6-1, 39 KOs) have not been able to.
?Mayweather needed all 12 rounds to beat Mosley and I believe Manny?s going to do something to Mosley that Mayweather and the rest didn?t do when they fought Mosley,? said Koncz.
?Manny?s going to become the first fighter to stop Mosley,? said Koncz, who is personally batting for Mosley as Pacquiao?s next opponent. ?The danger will be the first three rounds with Mosley and after that, Manny?s got him all figured out.?
There is little, if any, drama left now to self-styled “Godfather” Bob Arum, who has done everything but kissed Mosley’s butt in Macy’s window, trekking to Gensan for Pacman’s 32nd birthday and offering three purse proposals to the Pinoy Idol.
This is how Uncle Bob detailed the procedure to ESPN’s Dandy Dan Rafael:
“I will have all three proposals and I will sit with Manny in the Philippines when I’m there for his birthday and let him decide who he wants to fight. We’ll go over everything because each fight has a different set of financial parameters. It’s Manny’s career, it’s his life and he’ll decide. Will I make a recommendation? Sure, but all it will be is a recommendation, and Freddie will have some input. I certainly don’t act as a dictator.”
(I remember a long night in Rome when Mussolini said the same thing but, what the heck, he did make the trains run on time.)
Pacman is a Congressman but I would be shocked, shocked I say, if he vetoes the Mosley recommendations made by his longtime promoter and his trusted Sancho Panza, Koncz.
Frankly, I think Coach Roach finds either Marquez or Mosley more than acceptable and eminently beatable and that he favors them over Berto in terms of what money will be generated for Tema Pacquiao, including Freddie’s own bulging pockets.
But let’s do our own anyalysis:
Easiest to beat? Sugar Shane Mosley.
Biggest box office draw and PPV money magnet? Sugar Shane Mosley.
Top Rank In House foe who means most money for Arum? Sugar Shane Mosley.
Some might think Mosley embracing Top Rank and ditching Golden Boy but Oscar de la Hoya calls Mosley’s move “a slap in the face” but it is evidently not one that GBP will take to court.
So why don’t they just end the undramatic charade?
Invite Mosley to Gesan, ply him with balut and kinilaw (fresh tuna), and let’s get on with it.
Mosley is a roving bachelor again, perhaps he will meet a comely lass from Mindanao, who knows?
Anyone who thinks Juan Ma or Berto will be Manny’s next dance partner is an April fool.
This isn’t a horse race, it’s a dog and pony show for the unitiated.
Arum will hand Manny three ballots but they are all marked with Mosley’s name.
Maybe Juan Ma and Berto didn’t get enough signatures.
