By Michael Marley
LATEST FROM STORM KING MT.: AIR, GROUND SEARCHERS STILL COME UP EMPTY LOOKING FOR BOB ARUM'S SON, JOHN (VERIFIED AT 1:36 PM, PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, FRIDAY
In your wildest imagination, can you even conceive of Manny Pacquiao answering Floyd Mayweather's verbal garbage with his own trash talking?
I think many of us would love to see the Pinoy Idol get down and dirty and return a volley of low verbal blows at the direction of the unbeaten American.
But, as Pacman agent Michael Koncz, just told me by phone from Arlington, Texas, the day when Pacquiao goes the sleazy, slimy route won't come in the fighter's current lifetime.
Koncz said Pacquiao will stick to the high road and not dive down into the gutter with “Money May.”
“Manny doesn't react to that,” Koncz said in reference to Mayweather's profane and racist video put on Ustream Thursday. “That video just speaks for itself.”
“If Mayweather wants to do that, he can and he does. But Manny, as an athlete and as a politician now, doesn't believe in belittling people. Manny doesn't stoop down to that level.”
Koncz said it's obvious that the recent wave of Pacquiao publicity, much of it generated in press conferences this week in Beverly Hills (Tuesday), New York City (Wednesday) and at Cowboys Stadium (Friday), has thrown Mayweather for a mental loop.
“We all know that Mayweather has a huge ego. I think he feels threatened by all the publicity and attention that Manny gets so he lashes out to get himself some attention.”
The Canadian who now lives in General Santos City when not on the road with Pacman said that the public turnout was impressive at Jerry Jones football playpen, where Pacquiao decisioned Joshua Clottey March 13 and where he fights Mexico's Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13.
“You had a lot of Mexicans and many of them like Manny as well as Margarito,” Koncz said. “And, of course, there was the usual Filipino contingent that came out.
“I really think we'll get 70,000 fans into the stadium for this fight and on PPV TV I think the fight will do in excess of 1.2 million buys.”
Koncz said the Pacman contingent flies back to the Philippines Saturday and that the Congressmanny will begin serious training in Baguio on Sept. 20.
Promoter Bob Arum missed the New York and Texas pressers because he is in Washington State where aerial and ground search teams continued their search for his mountain climbing son, Seattle lawyer John B. Arum, on Friday.
As of 1:36 pm, PDT, North Cascades National Park spokeswoman Kerry Olson informed me that the weather in and around Storm King Mountain, which John Arum planned to scale, was “about 60 degrees and sunny.”
Though they have been searching since the 49 year old Arum was reported missing on Monday by family members, all that has been found so far is Arum's abandoned backpack and then his day or fanny pack.
Regardless, Olson said, four helicopters and ground searchers are working together to hunt for the expert outdoorsman.
“Nothing new today,” Olson said, “but they have started searching some new areas, including all options in the lower area of the mountain.”
And a father's desperate agony continues unabated.
Michael Marley is the national boxing examiner for examiner.com. To read more stories by Michael Marley, Click Here .
