CHICAGO – Fr. Jun “Batitz” Gutierrez of the Talamban Parish wrote me a nice e-mail yesterday. This time, though, my good friend wasn’t dispensing spiritual advice. He sought answers about a few things on the maudlin world of sports.
“I have a couple of questions for you,” wrote Fr. Jun. “Some of them are from my friends here in Cebu and I hope you can shed light on these.”
Sun.Star Network Online’s 12th Asean Summit watch
1.) “WHAT’S the real score with PacMan’s career now that Top Rank is his promoter? Can he get big money from Bob Arum when the lucrative fighters are with Golden Boy Promotions?” Whether he signed with Top Rank or Golden Boy, Pacman is set for life. Both deals had guaranteed purses plus a huge signing bonus. And while it’s true that Golden Boy has a stable of big-name fighters (Barrera, Marquez, etc), it’s also a myth that GBP won’t allow them to slug with Pacman.
You see, the job of a promoter like GBP is to look after the best interest of its fighters. In Barrera’s case, his best interest is fighting Pacquiao, who brings a multimillion payday and rich pay-per-view revenues. And that’s why Pacquiao-Barrera II will happen.
2.) “IS it possible for a top fighter like Manny to sign two different contracts with two different outfits at one time?” Yes, but unfortunately, he can only honor one. It’s like buying two airplane tickets that leave from the same airport at the same time. The only difference is that with the tickets, Pacquiao gets a refund. With the two contract-signings, Pacquiao only gets a fat lawsuit.
3.) “DOES Manny really have a manager this time? How come he is not properly advised to choose just one promoter and sign with it rather than signing two promoters and choosing later?” According to Arum, Finkel’s managerial contract with Manny expired last Aug. 12. But Finkel insists he is Manny’s manager until Jan. 31 next year. Either way, Manny obviously didn’t consult with Finkel before grabbing a hyperactive pen. If Manny consulted Finkel, this mess wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
4.) “IS Manny a legitimate title-holder now?” Yes. He is the reigning WBC superfeatherweight champion, says philboxing.com.
5.) “ANY update on Shaq and Yao Ming’s injuries?” Shaq had a 45-minute surgery at the Baptist Hospital of Miami last Nov. 20. The procedure was meant to remove cartilage in the 7-foot-1 center’s left knee. Shaq will undergo rehab for four to six weeks, and could be back by mid-January next year.
Yao wouldn’t require surgery on a fractured right tibia, but he will be out for at least six weeks.
6.) “ANY news on Derek Fisher”? For the 32-year old veteran, there is life beyond the Lakers. After leaving LA in the summer of 2004, Derek signed a wealthy $37-million deal with the Golden State Warriors. He has since been traded to Utah, where he is playing 24.8 minutes a game and averaging 10.1 points and 2.9 assists per.
7.) “WHAT’S keeping His Airness busy these days?” MJ is the CEO of the Jordan Brand, a division of Nike which raked billions of dollars in sales last year.
Outside the corporate world, Mike plays a lot of golf and watches his sons play varsity basketball for Loyola High School. Yesterday in Illinois, a judge made Jordan’s divorce to his wife Juanita final. They were married for 17 years and will share custody of their three kids. According to Forbes magazine, Jordan is worth in excess of $500 million, but it wasn’t revealed how much Juanita’s share of the fortune was.
POSTSCRIPT. Greetings to Joan Secuya, the lovely daughter of philboxing.com founder Dong Secuya, my pal and future vice mayor of Talisay City. A former MassCom student at STC, Joan is a huge fan of this column. And if the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, as I surmise, I bet Joan is also one heck of a writer. Just like her dad. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
