By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Prior to the planned trip to Monterrey, Mexico to check out the site and discuss the proposal to stage a fight between pound-for-pound king and “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC light middleweight title, the representatives of the Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates called Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz and told him “they are very optimistic” that the fight will take place in Abu Dhabi.
Koncz told us the Abu Dhabi group expects to finalize a deal sometime next week. Koncz revealed “they called me. They are very excited and I think its going to come together and I relayed that to Bob Arum today.”
Pacquiao’s adviser stressed that an Abu Dhabi deal was “a no-lose situation and is good for everybody” including Pacquiao and Arum because, as Koncz disclosed, “they will take the whole package. We have no risks, no liability and we can get Manny probably the biggest guaranteed purse he ever got right off the bat.”
Arum had also indicated that since Pacquiao would earn outside the US it wouldn't be subject to taxes that are regularly levied on his fight income in America.
It was also noted that with talks underway on a possible Pacquiao fight in Abu Dhabi, the U.A.E is getting a great deal of attention and publicity and as Koncz noted “once its confirmed that the fight is there then the attention will be unbelievable.”
Informed that the Formula I Grand Prix will race off in Abu Dhabi on November 14, a day after the planned WBC world title fight between Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, Koncz said “this may well be a benefit to them because they will have the Grand Prix crowd who will go to the fight. They could do it back-to-back and that could turn into a goldmine for them.”
In the meantime Koncz said the planned WBC/WBO bantamweight title fight between Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel and WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire scheduled for later this year “is going to happen.”
He made the statement in the wake of some claims that WBC/WBA super flyweight champion and IBO bantamweight champion Vic Darchinyan was in the lead to fight Montiel because the Mexican’s manager Fernando Beltran hadn’t said anything about a fight with Donaire.
Koncz who was in Tijuana with Beltran on Tuesday said Beltran “confirmed that the fight will happen.”
Koncz said “Montiel is Fernando’s fighter and he confirmed it to me because I was asking what was happening with Montiel too, if we had anybody to put against him. But he told me that fight (against Donaire) is going to be held.”
