By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao’s quibbling over the wording of an addendum to his contract covering a scheduled February 26 rematch with WBA/IBF champion Juan Manuel Marquez and a planned July showdown with former WBC super featherweight champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales has placed the Marquez rematch in jeopardy. A top official of HBO Sports,Senior Vice President Kery Davis as well as international promoter Murad Muhammad warned that HBO may give the date to someone else if Pacquiao doesn’t resolve the issue quickly.

In an exclusive interview with Viva Sports/Manila Standard at his home on Tuesday, Pacquiao said he declined to sign the addendum which stated that he would be paid $900,000  for a rematch against Marquez “or a bout against another credible opponent” because he feared he may wind up fighting an opponent not considered “credible” and his purse would be reduced. He claimed this happened when he was promised $1.5 million to fight Erik Morales after his November 15, 2003 victory over Marco Antonio Barrera but ended up fighting Marquez for $700,000. Pacquiao also insisted he wants to sign for one fight at a time and not a two-fight deal which includes a showdown with Morales in July.

International promoter Murad Muhammad made it clear, in an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard, that the words “credible opponent” were inserted “to ensure that in case Marquez is unable to fight on the scheduled date because of injury, illness or some other reason, it allows us to keep the date and find an opponent acceptable to HBO which will guarantee that Pacquiao gets the same amount which is $900,000 even if he fights someone else.”  Murad explained the danger in removing the words “credible opponent”  is that should Marquez or Morales be unable to fight for whatever reason then Pacquiao will “lose the fight date and the chance of earning $900,000 in the case of Marquez and $1.75 million in the fight with Morales.”  

Murad stressed that only HBO will decide on whether the substitute opponent was a credible opponent and acceptable to HBO considering the money they were paying Pacquiao. The No. 2 man at HBO Sports, Kery Davis, confirmed what Murad  said. Davis told Viva Sports/Manila Standard in an overseas telephone three-way conversation that Murad would “lose the date” if Marquez or later Morales couldn’t fight and just any other opponent was chosen as replacement. Davis indicated that the clause “credible opponent” was for “ insurance, so you don’t lose the date” and the chance to fight someone else for the same purse. It was also disclosed that  heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko’s handlers and the promoters of a rematch between Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson were both out to grab the February 26 date and any further delays on the part of Pacquiao in agreeing to the provisions of the addendum could result in HBO giving the February fight date, which has long been set aside for the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch, to other interested parties.

Murad also warned that should Pacquiao decline to sign for the two fights and insists on only signing up for Marquez, he would have to “ give back the July date which means he would have to "renegotiate Pacquiao’s next fight date which will be sometime after September.” Murad also revealed that under the terms of the Exclusive Promotion Agreement signed by both Pacquiao and business manager Rod Nazario dated March 1, 2004, he had the rights for Pacquiao’s next four fights under a minimum guarantee of $500,000 per fight. However, Murad said he was willing to pay Pacquiao $900,000 for the rematch with Marquez and $1.75 million for the battle with Morales which HBO officials classified as being “too much.”

It was pointed out that Top Rank in a purse bid for the Bernard Hopkins – Howard Eastman title fight had offered a mere $1.8 million which meant that Hopkins who holds four middleweight belts, the WBC,WBA,IBF and WBO would be entitled to a purse of $1.35 million which Murad said was “much lower than what I am offering Pacquiao for a fight with Morales where both fighters have no belts” even as he reminded people “whispering to Pacquiao and feeding him false information because they don’t know the boxing business” that Hopkins in his last fight against Oscar De La Hoya received $8 million and now Arum is offering him $1.35 million.

Davis said that while  Pacquiao may be a big draw in the Philippines he was a disappointment in terms of HBO TV ratings and  his last fight against Marquez “rated only 4.5 percent” which Davis disclosed was below the HBO standard of “no less than 6 percent.” He said fighters who “ fail to get the required ratings on HBO are scheduled on Boxing After Dark” which is regarded as a lower level boxing program where the total purse for both fighters is only some $500,000 to $600,000.