By Ronnie Nathanielsz
BOXING icon Manny Pacquiao again dismayed his inner circle when he postponed his departure for the United States to shoot a commercial for sporting equipment maker Nike.
He also was scheduled to have a thanksgiving dinner with his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, at which they would decide his next opponent for a fight scheduled on March 15.
But Pacquiao, after shooting a movie in Nueva Ecija, decided to fly to Cebu with his two sons and their maids to do some shopping and play a basketball game. Neither his wife Jinkee nor any of those who normally shadow him were with him.
The Cebu trip also forced Pacquiao to skip his classes at Notre Dame in General Santos City.
Pacquiao’s close friend and confidant, Rex Salud, said Pacquiao planned to leave for Los Angeles last night, but business manager Eric Pineda said he would leave today.
Pineda informed the Nike people not to worry, saying Pacquiao had some things to attend to.
Arum said he was informed that Pacquiao would arrive in the US Saturday night.
“If worse comes to worst, he’ll get on the phone with me if he’s not going to come over,” Arum said.
“Manny has to come over to do the commercial for Nike, so I assume he will get together with me as soon as he gets here.”
Meanwhile, Arum said World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer had been very reasonable during their negotiations for a possible Pacquiao rematch with the Mexican.
Speaking by phone from Las Vegas, Arum said he was prepared “to lay out both guys [Marquez and WBC lightweight champion David Diaz] and whoever he [Pacquiao] wants to fight, he can fight.”
He made it clear he wasn’t favoring Diaz, a Top Rank fighter.
“I don’t have a preference,” he said. “Golden Boy and Marquez have been very reasonable in the negotiations.”
According to Schaefer, Marquez agreed to make concessions on his purse and even go up in weight to fight Pacquiao.
This was confirmed by Marquez himself, who carried the fight to Pacquiao and accused him of “coming up with many excuses for not wanting to fight me.”
Marquez said all Pacquiao’s statements, including his plan to challenge Diaz for the WBC lightweight title, “is an indication that he’s really scared and doesn’t want any part of me. He knows I’m the only man who can beat him. I’ll destroy him.”
When asked what fight he would want to see, Arum responded: “There are arguments for both guys. It is business with Marquez, because of the draw [with Pacquiao].
“If he fights Diaz, which is a lightweight championship, then a whole host of new opponents appear. So it’s not an easy decision. It’s not a clear-cut decision.”
