Manny Knows What's best For Him - Read Article

Huff and Puff, Manny Won't Budge "At the end of the day, the only person that really cares about you is you." Quote me on that, although I'm pretty sure you've heard that one before in some similar shape or form. Didn't I say it was deja vu? So here we are again, torn by another revenue split. As Pacquiao and Hatton fans go back and forth arguing each point, a lot of these boxing experts have again willingly laid their criticisms on Pacquiao. It's pretty much the same tune over and over. You tend to hear all this negative publicity against Pacquiao before he fights then after he proves himself in the ring, all the backpedaling commences together with the half-baked praises and flattery. But then again there are those who strongly stand by Pacquiao who are often called Pac (attach some demeaning fanatical slang term here ex. nuts, huggers, freaks). It's amazing really, how one figure can reveal such polarizing characteristics of men. Why do people devalue and underestimate Pacquiao so much? Well, I'll leave that to the forum people to argue about. I can assure you this though- Manny Pacquiao is smarter than most of us. True, he came from poverty and hardly had any education, but it's not like the guy lacked the intelligence, there were simply more pressing things for him to worry about at that time like finding the next meal than to get an A in social studies. Also, as smart people would say, not all knowledge can be found in books. Furthermore, coming from a hard life educates you and teaches you more than anything you can learn from a classroom. No dummy would come from so low and reach as high as Manny has reached. Believe that! Any lesser man would've wilted and quit a long time ago. Say all you want, hate all you can but just remember, you are doing it behind a computer monitor or a pen while Manny sits on top of the world as the pound for pound best fighter with stacks on deck, Manny is a shrewd businessman in his own right. Don’t be deceived by the million dollar smile and his generous ways. When it comes down to business, Manny can hang with the best of them. And of all things these people ignore about Pacquiao is that the man has principles. Call him crazy all you want but it's that type of crazy that normal people can never grasp and what pushes greats like Pacquiao to be where they're at. Yea, people said Pacquiao was crazy for asking for a bigger piece of the pie against that what De la Hoya initially offered him, but after seeing that fight one could say the only piece of any pie De La Hoya deserved together with the people that called Pacquiao crazy was a piece of some humble pie. Okay, De la Hoya was that draw, but can you tell me why the crowd almost felt like a 50/50 crowd from the get go? And if you heard the crowd reactions from every Pacquiao straight, you could’ve sworn there were no De la Hoya fans in the MGM that night. You really think Pacquiao really cares that much about the money? Of course he cares about the money. Last time I checked it's the 21st century and money still made the world go 'round. But this is the same guy that just brushed off charges against his former promoters that stole from him simply because he says he is still indebted to them for helping him with his career. This is the same guy that spends millions to help cancer treatment in the Philippines, provide aide to his impoverished countrymen and even have extra money on the side to simply spoil his free loading hangers-on. When Pacquiao sued a Filipino writer a while back for a lot of money when he felt that writer crossed the line in some of his columns. It was a law suit Pacquiao could’ve very well have won but he dropped the charges after the writer apologized publicly about the matter. Yea, of course he cares about the money. Manny didn't volunteer to be a boxer. It's his job. But more than anything, Pacquiao values his reputation. Even if he doesn't cash another check from boxing The Pac Man is already rich. He can quit boxing and never have a money itch for the rest of his life. He's got businesses, a promotion company, movies, records that will forever receive royalty, real estate, endorsements and the list goes on. This is about pride more than money really. De la Hoya is gone. Mayweather is still retired. Pacquiao is now the top dog. If you didn't notice, before he even put a superstar making performance against De la Hoya in front of the biggest audience in 2008, the celebrities already came out to see Pacquiao which validates his star power. And after getting a taste of the excitement and drama Pacquiao brings to the ring when he fights, you think America will drop him now? Now of all times when the spotlight is all his? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TUYO! These boxing stuck-ups must not know anything about pop culture. Rappers like Fabolous drop verses on radio singles about Pacquiao. Heck even Rocky Balboa now wants a piece and do a movie with the Pac Man. Wake up! These people that keep insisting Pacquiao is overrated and not the draw are either lying to themselves or really out of touch with reality. I was in Indianapolis during the Pacquiao- De la Hoya fight and a few hours after they were raving about that fight on the local hip-hop radio station. I’m talking about Indianapolis man, and they know who Pacqiao is. And Pacquiao got there the hard way. He took the road less travelled and beat the best of the best and strafed no one. Ricky Hatton beat a lot of bums and Paulie Malignaggi and got knocked out by Floyd Mayweather. Nuf Sed. Better believe it, Pacquiao is now the face of boxing. Whether you like it or not, you are living in a boxing era wherein Manny Pacquiao is currently the biggest superstar. I talked to Emanuel Steward last week and he himself said it. Don't insult our intelligence by saying Ricky Hatton deserves equal billing with Pacquiao just because he generates pay-per-view money from the UK. Hatton can sing that song with any other boxer out there, but next to Manny Pacquiao's resume and ring status, Hatton is a midget. Manny Pacquiao is aware of that. It's his time now. It comes with the territory. He has allowed the game to screw him over so many times before. Remember that gloves stipulation Morales had when he got that first win against Pacquiao? Remember all the Mickey mouse money Pacquiao got and 3 star motel room accommodations given to him back when he was already headlining in Vegas? Pacquiao already proved he was humble enough to do the dog and pony show and endure all the BS any unknown boxer from a lowly regarded region of the world has to go through just to make it in the big time. Manny Pacquiao knocked on the doors begging America to give him a shot back in the day, only to get shut down time and time again until he met Freddie Roach. And after so many years and all the hard work, Pacquiao has finally proven his worth surpassing expectations of even his most ambitious supporters and in essence kicking those once shut boxing doors open for others after him to follow. Pacquiao deserves more respect than that. And if Bob Arum doesn't think so, then maybe it's time for him to let Pacquiao go because they might as well rob Pacquiao of all his sacrifices by treating like some clueless up and coming pug. He didn't come this far to reach the top and just be treated the same way he was treated then. It's Pacquiao's time and this is simply his not so subtle way to say “it’s time to cash in on all the times these suits tried to screw him in the ass”. I know how it is to earn your way in the world. That's why a lot of us move to a foreign country and sacrifice not seeing our families only to be treated like peasants just so we can give our loved ones a better life. What Manny wants, is simply what any regular Filipino wants. That's to be treated fairly because if there was any other person in the world that deserves it, he’d be on top of a long list. Give Pacquiao's accomplishments to any American fighter and I guarantee you that fighter would be receiving Mike Tyson or Oscar De la Hoya money right now. What's 60% of the revenue? Heck Pacquiao isn't asking for money that's not there or some kind of bonus or raise. Whether billions or 5 people watch his fight against Hatton, he just wants the percentage he deserves because he is the main draw. Without him those Hatton fans and PPV buyers would be a lot less inclined spending that money anyway. Who else can Hatton fight that can generate the excitement of a showdown against boxing’s current pound for pound best and one of its all time greatest drama kings? No, Pacquiao has not fallen into any kind of post De la Hoya trap becuase unlike Trinidad or Mosley, Pacquaio defied odds and did the unthinkable by coming up so many weight classes and demolished a legend. Don't get that twisted. Pacquiao’s timing is more than fortunate. There is no boxer in the sport right now more bankable than him. And whether you love him or hate him or disclaim you’re his fan only to bash and underhandedly belittle him, Pacquiao is the face of boxing right now. It’s easy to be a spectator and watch then throw out “expert” opinions, but at the end of the day, Pacquiao worked hard for everything he has achieved thus he has every right to try and collect bills due to him. You can throw all the money talk you want with Hatton's English PPV or what not but like I said, it's about principle. Manny wants the respect he deserves and is done with the days when people took advantage of him and give him the shorter end of the stick. He has positioned himself to deserve demanding 60%. When the time comes he falls back down, then he’s going to have to deal with that then but today, as in now, currently, at the moment this very minute, Pacquiao is the man calling the shots. He may move a little bit with his percentage request but Manny deserves the lion's share of the pot and by hook or by crook he will get it, or forget about it.