GENERAL SANTOS CITY ? While his handlers fight over how much he should get from his projected fight with British superstar Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao tried his hand on basketball, his other passion.
Pacquiao made his debut in the Smart-Liga Pilipinas Conference II last Wednesday, logging two points, one assist and four rebounds, but his team, the MP GenSan Warriors, lost to Ilocos Sur, 63-59, at the Lagao gymnasium.
His appearance overshadowed the first game of Nigerian Sam Ekwe who fired 12 points and hauled down 17 rebounds to lead Trace Laguna to an 84-73 victory over Edding Zanorte Babami in the other game.
Pacquiao, who is set to fight Hatton on May 2 in Las Vegas, keeps himself in shape by playing backyard basketball, but his stint in the fledgling regional league should alarm his handlers, now divided over the Filipino icon?s share in pay-per-view revenues.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum said he and Golden Boy Promotions, the firm that manages Hatton, have agreed on a 50-50 split, a decision slammed by Pacquiao?s lawyer, Franklin Gacal who said Pacquiao wants a bigger slice of the pie and doesn?t mind if his fight with Hatton won?t push through as planned.
Pacquiao?s venture into basketball exposes him to unnecessary injuries, but the five-foot-six athlete dismisses the thought.
“OK naman. Ito ang cross-training ko, kaya talagang todo suporta ako sa basketball,” Pacquiao said. “Noon pa man hanggang ngayon araw-araw ako naglalaro ng basketball. Ito ang love ko.”
Pacquiao, who saw action for over 10 minutes, said he intends to play in the remainder of the GenSan leg and is seriously considering suiting up again when the league moves to Pampanga next week.
“Sana patuloy natin suportahan ang basketball at ang GenSan para mabigyan natin ng karangalan an gating bayan. Maglalaro ako ng basketball hanggang kaya at nandito ako,” said Pacquiao.
Ekwe?s presence has boosted the chances of Trace-Laguna, but coach Nomar Isla downplayed their first win.
