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“Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao has denied allegations published by the entertainment website TMZ Sports that he owes the US Internal Revenue Service or IRS $18.3 million in taxes for the years 2006 to 2010. TMZ claimed it had obtained official documents which show the IRS claims Pacquiao owes federal income taxes totaling $18,313,668.79 but Pacquiao said this was not true.
Former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa who has formed MAG Promotions along with boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and businessman Anson Tiu insists he will never exploit Pacquiao in the new promotional outfit. Penalosa issued the clarification amidst concerns that there were individuals exploiting Pacquiao as evidenced in his tax issues with the BIR and the US Internal Revenue Service and others whom Pacquiao claims are out to destroy his good name.
Argentine challenger Marcus Maidana’s strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza predicts Maidana will have a tough fight when he battles WBA welterweight champion Adrien Broner at the Alamadome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday. Ariza said the hard-punching Maidana had trained hard and had some excellent sparring with Stevie Forbes who he said provided “tough opposition and did tremendous work.” Forbes was a one-time sparring partner of the late Diego Corrales and also fought Oscar De La Hoya.
A 16 year old high school student from Bulacan is in a coma and reportedly “brain dead” after being rushed to the provincial hospital in Iba, Zambales when he complained of dizziness at the end of the second round of a preliminary bout at the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association competition last Monday.
Filipino southpaw Ryan Sermona who last Saturday won the WBC International super featherweight title with a 4th round knockout of Australia’s defending champion Matt Garlett at the Metro City Thunderdome in Perth, Western Australia may get a shot at the winner of the clash between champion Takashi Miura of Japan and Mexico’s Dante “Crazy” Jardon. This is the hope of Sermona’s manager Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr who returned home on Monday from Perth.
2012 “Fighter of the Year” Nonito “The Filipino Flash” wants a title shot at WBA featherweight champion Nicholas Walters and not IBF champion and stablemate Evgeny Gradovich (18-0, 9 KO’s). Donaire wants the fight either in late April or sometime in May. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that he had spoken to Donaire’s manager Cameron Duncan who informed him that Donaire would be ready by late April but indicated he didn’t know whether it was so and added “at worst it would be May” to give time for his fractured cheekbone to heal. He suffered the injury in his 9th round TKO of Vic Darchinyan.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum doesn’t know whether the latest ratings of the World Boxing Council which elevated “Fighter of the Decade” Manny Pacquiao to No.1 contender status in the welterweight division “means anything” in terms of a possible fight against champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. Arum told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard - “I don’t know whether that means anything. I have no idea whether we can move forward with Mayweather” pointing out that Mayweather is also the WBA super welterweight champion.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has revealed that Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz had established a company in the United States through which some of Pacquiao’s bills in America are paid. ABS-CBN’s Las Vegas reporter Bev Llorente told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that she had spoken to Arum who defended Koncz insisting that he had “nothing whatsoever to do” with the current tax problems of the “Fighter of the Decade” and insisted that “the problem is with the politics being played in the Philippines” and that the BIR had “picked on the wrong person.”
Former WBO/WBA flyweight champion Brian Viloria is ready for a rematch with Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada in Macau on February 22 on a Top Rank fight card of promoter Bob Arum. In an overseas telephone conversation with BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard, Viloria said he expects to find out from his manager Gary Gittelsohn what progress has been made with the Estrada camp on the planned rematch which was first indicated by Arum.
WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes is ready to face mandatory challenger Moises Fuentes possibly in the Top Rank fight card in Macau on February 22. ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer said he had received a letter from Luis Batista-Salas, chairman of the WBO Championship Committee on Wednesday in which both ALA Promotions and Mexico’s Zanfer headed by Fernando Beltran were given “30 days to negotiate an agreement” for the rematch otherwise “if an accord is not reached within the time frame, a Purse Bid will be ordered.”