Manny Pacquiao is all set to meet former super bantamweight champ Oscar Larios on May 20, but HBO will not go to Manila.
Larry Merchant said during the Vargas-Mosley telecast that the next Pacquiao bout will not be held in the Philippines with HBO as had been thought. He blamed this on the political turmoil in the nation and claimed HBO felt that it would be unsafe to stage a big fight there.
What a shame. The Filipino people deserve to see their national idol fight in person this year. It is easy to imagine a sell-out frenzied crowd at the most prestigious stadium in Manila. What a great spectacle that would be! And likewise, Manny’s American fans deserve to see this Manila fight on television so they can witness first hand the love affair between an athlete and a country.
Is HBO being too cautious? If the whole country shuts down to pay attention to a Pacman fight in Vegas and the national crime rate plummets, certainly you could imagine a similar calm during a Manny fight in the Philippines.
Anyway, the fight may take place in Manila after all.
Ronnie Nathanielsz reports in the March 2 edition of the Manila Standard Today that the Pacquiao-Larios fight has been reset for June 18 or July 2 and will indeed take place in Manila.
“A close friend and confidante of Pacquiao, boxing manager and promoter Rex Salud, told Viva Sports/Standard Today that the fight will definitely be held in Manila because Pacquiao wants to put on a show for his countrymen,” Nathanielsz reported.
Then, I read from another source that Nathanielsz claims Pacquiao is dumping promoter Gary Shaw, a report I’m so far unable to confirm.
What is going on here?
