Category: Manny Pacquiao

The last time Manny Pacquiao climbed the 20’ x 20’ boxing ring, he lost. That was last May against Mayweather. The last thing Manny Pacquiao wants to happen when he enters the boxing ring for the last time in his career — this April — is another loss.

Against a Junior named Floyd, he lost. That’s why he picked another Junior to win. Thus explains the safeguarded, humdrum, please-not-a-third-time decision to fight Timothy Ray Bradley, Jr.

The choices were plenty. There was Adrien Broner, an American like Bradley who’s fought 34 times, won 31 times, with 23 of those Ws by knockout. He’s the WBA super lightweight champ. There was Amir Khan, the 29-year-old Briton who won the 2004 Olympic silver medal in Athens. And exactly like Broner, he’s climbed the stage on 34 tries and won 31. Finally, Terence Crawford. Nicknamed “Bud” and only 28, he’s the WBO light welterweight champion.

Didn’t Bob Arum himself proclaim last November that the choice had narrowed down to either Amir Khan or Terence Crawford? In the end, familiarity wins. Caution is the parent of safety, a proverb goes. In this case, caution won.

Why risk Manny’s last act to an undefeated 27-0 Crawford? Why risk the last time we’ll remember him shirtless, sweaty and bloodied on the MGM Grand stage to Adrien Broner, who’s Ring Magazine’s No. 6 in the pound for pound rankings?

And so here we are again and again, our Pambansang Kamao facing Desert Storm — their third meeting in Manny’s last seven fights. Why? Maybe Arum has this penchant with even numbers: MP-TB met in 2012… in 2014… in 2016. It’s an every-other-year date.

What do the cynics say about April 9? Ha-ha. Brutal. It ranges from “Morales: Manny Pacquiao Choosing Timothy Bradley Not Thrilling” to “PB3 Would Continue The Wrong Tradition” to “Pacquiao vs. Bradley III: A Fight For The Delusional.”

Arum himself admits that this will be a difficult sell for his Pay-Per-View (PPV) numbers. Coming from Pacquiao’s last outing which generated over 4.4 million buys (majority of whom were very disappointed), the expectations this time are lowly.

“Will we do the same numbers for the first two Bradley fights?” Arum asked. “Probably not. We’re going to try to come as close as we can, and hopefully exceed it, but I understand what we’re up against. I’ve run my numbers and I have done my math. I’m not out here with my head up my ass.”

As charming and smiling as Bob Arum is in person (my dad Bunny and I met him in Macau two years ago), he’s the most astute and cunning of sports promoters.

The 84-year-old Arum knows his figures. The 2012 Manny-Tim bout raked in 890,000 PPV buys. Two years later, it went down to 800,000. This time, 700k? Maybe less? Arum can trumpet the contest this way: Bradley is the new Bradley; he has a new trainer in Teddy Atlas and he KO’d Brandon Rios in the 9th round last November. Plus, this is Manny’s last fight.

As to the rumors circulating that Pac-Man will fight one last time after Bradley — a rematch against Mayweather? I doubt it. It’s possible but very, very, very unlikely.

The month after Pacquiao defeats Bradley to cap an outlandish career that saw him earn billions and win the hearts of millions, he’ll win as senator of the Philippines. By then, Pacquiao’s total focus and time will be centered on another type of slugfest: the political circus.

My take on all this? Like I mentioned before in previous articles, I wished Manny would have ended his career fronting his fellow Pinoys inside the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena. But money talks. And the voice of money is, to Arum, louder than Manny’s. And it points to Las Vegas, not Bulacan.

This Bradley move, years from now, will end up to be an excellent choice for Sen. Pacquiao. He pockets $20 million. He ends his career with a bang — from his Cleto Reyes gloves. And he gains free advertising as all ears and eyes will be fixated on his victory a month before May 9.

There is little doubt that, come May 9, 2016, when the elections unfold, the planet’s most famous Filipino will be admitted entry into the Senate. It’s not a question of “if” Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao will be victorious but by what ranking among the Top 12.

In the 2013 elections, Manny wanted to run as senator but he was then ineligible. He’s now 36 years of age — leapfrogging the barrier that states that one has to be 35-and-older.

Having fought a total of 65 fights in his professional career, sporting a 57-win, 6-loss and 2-draw record, Manny is nearing the end of his boxing career. You and I know this. He’s lost three of his last six and has not knocked-out an opponent since Miguel Cotto in 2009. At 36, one’s physical state is in decline. Manny knows this and he knows that he has, at best, one career-ending skirmish left in his career.

My suggestion for Pacman? Stage that finale in Manila! Do it for your Pinoy fans. Manny doesn’t need the money. He grossed $150 million when he faced Floyd Mayweather, Jr. last May in what was billed as the highest grossing fight of all time. In his career spanning two decades, he’s amassed billions of pesos.

Do it for us, Manny. You know when the last time was when Manny fought on Philippine soil? I saw that contest inside the Araneta Coliseum against Oscar Larios in July 2006. It will be 10 years next year since he’s last fought before his fellow Filipinos. The ideal time for Manny to don those gloves and fight once more is before the May elections. When he becomes senator, he said that he wants to treat it seriously and not be absent, like he’s often been as congressman. Would you believe that, as Sarangani representative, Pacquiao was present in Congress only four times in 2014?

“I will have to give up the other things that require my attention. If you are a senator, your focus should only be your job and your family,” Pacquiao said in an interview.

This admission offers an insight into Manny’s plans: Once a senator, he’ll give up boxing. “I think I’m ready (to retire). I’ve been in boxing for more than 20 years,” he said on ABS-CBN. Now that Manny’s rotator cuff tear injury appears to be healed, the target date for his next fight is February or March. It can’t be later than that because Manny still has to campaign for at least a month before we go to the polls.

Bob Arum confirmed his ward’s plans in an interview last month with Dan Rafael of ESPN: “He’s not going to run for re-election to congress. Instead, he’s running for senate, and in the Philippines, the senate is a national election. So he wants to fight and then concentrate on the campaign. It’s very important to him. I’ve spoken to Manny a couple of times (recently), and he is more interested in talking politics than boxing.”

Against who? ESPN’s Dan Rafael, one of the most respected boxing writers, said Arum revealed five possible opponents. Wrote Mr. Rafael: “The list includes leading candidate Amir Khan, a former unified junior welterweight titlist and top welterweight contender, welterweight titleholder Kell Brook, junior welterweight titlist Terence Crawford, junior welterweight contender Lucas Matthysse and Juan Manuel Marquez, the Mexican great Pacquiao has waged four outstanding fights against, going 2-1-1 but finishing the fourth fight on his face as the result of a gargantuan sixth-round knockout in December 2012… England’s Khan (31-3, 19 KOs), passed over multiple times by Mayweather, who continually mentioned him as a leading candidate only to fight somebody else, knows Pacquiao well. They sparred together when Khan was trained by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s longtime cornerman.”

To me, the most riveting is “Pacquiao vs. Amir Khan.” The only problem? Arum wants it in Las Vegas. Not again, Bob!

Instead, come March 2016, Manny’s last boxing fight should be inside the Philippine Arena. What a farewell — and a perfect campaign rally consisting of 55,000 screaming fans all cheering for the future senator.

(Getty Images)

Manny Pacquiao faced two opponents last weekend: an undefeated “Fun Run Champion” and an injury called the “Rotator Cuff Tear.”

Of the latter, I speak from experience. I, too, had an almost-similar injury. And like what Manny is about to undergo later this week, I went “under the knife.” I had surgery.

Mine happened five years ago. No, I’m no boxer. My sport is tennis and several years back, after shifting to marathon-running, I stopped tennis. But then I wanted to return to playing the sport of Roger Federer and, without much warm-up and take-it-easy preparation, I started to hit my serves as hard as I could.

That pronation and shoulder-twisting action from the tennis serve injured my shoulder. Hard-headed and thinking that it was temporary, I continued. The shoulder pain turned unbearable. I slept in agony; when I turned to my right, the discomfort was excruciating. I couldn’t twist my right arm counter-clockwise. I rested. Iced the shoulder. Underwent therapy. But then months ensued and, after all options were exhausted, I opted for surgery.

Jose Antonio “Tony” San Juan, the foremost sports medicine surgeon in the Visayas and Mindanao, was my doctor.

“Your condition was a rotator cuff impingement/subacromial impingement,” said Tony, who will be flying to Vietnam tomorrow with Jonel Borromeo to join Steve and Maricel Maniquis in the first-ever Ironman 70.3 Vietnam triathlon race this Sunday. “You didn’t have a tear yet at the time of surgery but if left alone you would have suffered a tear.”

Common to sports involving overhead and shoulder movements (like tennis, badminton, volleyball, boxing, baseball and swimming), my injury was due, said Tony, “to your rotator cuff getting impinged/compressed by bony overgrowth in your acromioclavicular joint (joint formed by your collarbone and extension of your shoulder blade).”

Too technical? He explains: “When we did your surgery (Subacromial Decompression), it was aimed at relieving you of the pain caused by the impingement.”

That’s the rotary cuff injury for sports involving overheard movements. Boxing? This is an entirely different animal of a game. Dr. San Juan explains the possible causes of the injury. “Untreated or undertreated impingement (like mine) may eventually lead to a tear. Another cause of a rotator cuff tear is trauma: the sudden contraction of the rotator cuff muscle that could cause it to detach from its bony attachment.”

Manny Pacquiao’’s injury, he says, involves both. “Pain and limitation of movement and function because of the pain are what needs to be addressed with the treatment,” he said.

Is there a chance that Manny’s injury will be career-ending? I’d like to answer that: Any procedure that involves surgery — especially for a fighter who’s boxed hundreds and hundreds of rounds — can be career-ending. It is possible that last Sunday was the last that we saw of Pacman on the ring.

But Tony is confident. “Present techniques for surgical treatment (Subacromial Decompression, Rotator Cuff Repair) have high rates of success,” he said, “and most are able to return to a high level of physical activity with proper care and rehabilitation.”

This is good news. The bad news? A long, long recovery process, taking as long as 9 to 12 months. “This could test the patience of an elite athlete like MP,” said Tony. Let’s remember: By then, Pacquiao will be 37.

“MP couldn’t be in better hands, though, under the care of Dr. Neal ElAttrache,” said Tony. “He is a well recognized global authority in this field who has treated the likes of Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady and Vitali Klitschko.”

Our doctor-triathlete’s suggestion for Manny? To touch base with Kobe, Brady and Kiltschko, the former heavyweight champ. I’m sure these celebrities will answer the call of Manny (especially Kobe who, like Manny, is a Nike endorser and who’s the same age).

“They’’re the best source of information and confidence heading into surgery as they have had first-hand experience,” said Tony.

Manny clearly lost. It was obvious. To think otherwise would mean that our eyes are tainted with bias. In my own scoring, he won only three rounds.

He convincingly won Rounds 4 and 6 — as evidenced by the unanimous scores of all three judges. Weren’t those episodes vintage Pacquiao? Him unleashing rapid-fire bullets that had Floyd hiding in his cave barricaded with his arms as shield? In rounds 4 and 6, Manny showed us the real SuperManny.

But other than those fleeting moments, he was not the same man who embarrassed Oscar de la Hoya, floored Hatton and reduced the size of the 5-foot-11 Antonio Margarito to a bloody-faced midget. He was not the mini-Mike Tyson who’d rampage and bulldoze his ferocious will over Goliaths.

Imagine being out-pointed by Floyd in the punches-thrown scorecard? And when it matters most — the actual punches that landed — Floyd connects on 34 percent while Manny limps to 19 percent? Floyd landed 67 more punches (148 vs. 81) than Manny.

Unlikely. Improbable. But it happened. And we thought that Manny The Aggressor would relinquish that let’s-play-it-safe mentality and, never mind if he’d be labeled “reckless,” that he’d attack, invade, attack, invade.

Did he suffer some flashes of memory of that moment four bouts ago against Juan Manuel Marquez — in the same ring inside MGM Grand — when he was crushed with one right hook? How he got careless and paid for it by lying motionless on the floor? Did that memory recur? Which would explain why he was hesitant and did not employ his usual blitzkrieg of weapons?

Maybe. I’ve never tried boxing. But to those who’ve been flattened before, they say you’ll never forget it; that each time you climb the ring, the nightmarish memory resurfaces.

Was it the right shoulder injury? Possible. As any athlete will tell you, when you suffer a physical trauma — during training or, worse, during the actual contest — it hobbles you. Maybe this explains why Manny threw a measly 193 jabs (versus 267 from Floyd), connecting on a paltry 9 percent. Can you believe this: Manny landed only 18 jabs in the 12 rounds. It must be the injury. Which is very unfortunate for our man.

With Mayweather, as hated as he is, you’ve got to applaud his performance. This was exactly how he planned it. This was how he won 47 prior bouts and how he’ll win two more to reach 50 and 0 and beat Rocky Marciano’s record.

Floyd is as slithery as a snake, as quick to bite back as a King Cobra. What also worked against Manny was Floyd’s 5-inch reach advantage. How Floyd took advantage of that, firing left hook after left hook (67 jabs landed, in all), keeping a faraway distance between him and Manny.

As it turns out, this fight turned out to be exactly how majority of experts projected it to play. There was no knockout. The bout lasted the full 12 episodes of three minutes each. And Floyd got his Unanimous Decision victory. This was, to borrow the cliche, “according to script.”

It was clear that if Manny was going to win, he needed to be extraordinary. He needed to “take it to Floyd.” Manny needed to take risks. We knew what Floyd was going to do: weave, jab, wait, pounce, do a shoulder roll, slap a straight right hook. For Manny to win, he needed to produce the type of heroics that one athlete was known for. That spectator was Michael Jordan.

For a 36-year-old congressman who’s fought professionally 65 times, Manny tried. But his trying was not good enough. That’s sport. The man who tries hardest doesn’t always win. (And the loser doesn’t always take home P3 billion.)

In the end, the hype for this once-in-a-century extravaganza was too much. No fight could have lived up to those expectations — except a spectacular Pacquiao knockout, which was as unlikely to happen as the Los Angeles Clippers losing at home by 27 points in Game 7. As it turns out, being a non-San Antonio Spurs fan, that was the only thing to smile about. At least one world champion got dethroned last Saturday night.

Seven days ago, I narrated how my dad Bunny wanted to fly to Nevada to watch Manny vs. Money. As he inquired about the ticket prices, he was shocked: one cushioned seat inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena would cost him P230,000. In dollars, that’s 5K.

No way, my dad said. A boxing fan for life who adored Sugar Ray Leonard’s speed and who’d troop inside the Waterfront Hotel ballroom for most ALA Promotions encounters, my dad wanted to be a witness to the modern-day version of “Thrilla in Manila.” Then, Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier in what was billed as one of the greatest clashes of all time.

Thrilla in Manila was contested in 1975. Forty years later, it’s another thriller in Vegas. (A bit of side trivia: The country’s first major commercial mall was named after the bout’s winner; that’s the “Ali Mall” beside the Araneta Coliseum, where the event was fought.)

Back to my dad, here’s some reminiscing: We traveled together to watch Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios last Nov. 2013. Prior to that fight, Pacquiao lost to Juan Manuel Marquez in a sleep-inducing knockout that floored the 100 million Filipinos watching on TV.

In Macau two years ago, my dad and I watched the bout 11 rows away. We stayed at The Venetian Macao and it was his first time to watch our Pambansang Kamao. The trip was memorable not only because of the Unanimous Decision victory by MP, him clobbering an overmatched (and soon we’d find out, drug-induced) Rios, it was meaningful because of the myriad of people that my dad met. He chatted with Genaro Rodriguez, the fight’s referee; he spent two hours seated beside commentator “Colonel” (Bob Sheridan), listening to his tales of announcing over 10,000 fights, from Mike Tyson to George Foreman to Roberto Duran.

That was 2013. How about May 2, 2015? Would you believe, my dad’s going to the fight for free!

Here’s the story: One of his closest friends, Augustus “Gus” Ouano, bought two tickets immediately after the fight was announced last week. Ticket prices: $5,000 apiece.

Dr. Ouano, who owns a PhD in polymer science and who worked in IBM for four decades in an illustrious career as scientist and inventor (plus author of the book, “Motivation and Opportunity: An Immigrant’s Quest for Knowledge from Mindanao to the Leading Edge of Science and Technology”), is not a boxing fan. He did not purchase the tickets for himself. He bought one ticket for his nephew, Engr. Fortunato “Jun” Sanchez, Jr., one of the top officials of the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB), and allocated the other ticket to Jun’s brother, Jay.

Jun and Jay Sanchez were ready to pay for the tickets. But, because of some matters that would not allow him to travel during that time, Jay opted not to make the trip.

Back in Las Vegas where he resides, Dr. Gus Ouano reflected on the two ticket purchases that he made.

He made a decision and said: I’ll give — not sell — these tickets to two of my closest friends, Jun and Bunny. It would also be an opportunity for them to discuss Cebu-related matters (water supply and infrastructure) in Las Vegas.

When my dad received the message from Gus informing him of the astonishing gift, my dad said no. He couldn’t possibly accept the expensive offering.

But Gus reminded my dad of an act that he did a long time ago, back in 2008. Then, my dad received a business class ticket to the U.S. from PAL. He doesn’t remember the details (it may have been a prize he won) but he decided not to use the ticket. He decided to give — not sell — it to Dr. Ouano. Plus, Gus reminded him, it was years ago when my dad brought along his good friend to watch a Pacquiao fight at the Casino Español. Not a boxing aficionado, Gus was thrilled to see Manny win from the ballroom’s large screen.

And so now, this. The Gift. The Blessing. Manuel (my dad’s first name) watching Emmanuel in May against Mayweather. I can’t be more excited for a good man: my dad.

As the saying goes: The good that you do will always come back to you.

My dad Bunny, considering the possibility of flying to Los Angeles and driving four hours to Las Vegas to watch Money vs. Manny, was in constant touch with a few friends residing in Las Vegas yesterday. The ticket prices? You won’t believe it. Not 1K or 3K but $5,000 for the second-cheapest seats. That’s P230,000 for a single chair on a scuffle that will last a maximum of 36 minutes. My dad said No. He’d rather occupy his usual front row “good luck” chair inside Casino Español come the morning of May 3.

SALVEN LAGUMBAY. I interviewed one of the country’s foremost experts on boxing. He’s a best friend from UP Cebu College, a fellow writer, and now one of Asia’s top boxing judges. Here was Salven’s email to me a few nights ago:

“Bai, honestly, in the very long time that I’ve been following boxing, this is the first time for me to experience a fight announcement that is taking extremely long to make, with almost everybody around the world waiting for it with bated breath.

“Welcome to the Floyd Mayweather School of Business. First of all, in the history of contemporary boxing, or all of boxing for that matter, I would rate Mayweather as arguably the most astute, business-savvy boxer of all times. If he wasn’t boxing, he would have been the Dean of the Harvard Business School or a member of Barack Obama’s Economic Team.

“I have personally met him at his Mayweather Boxing Club gym in Las Vegas last October, and true enough, Mayweather is an entirely different athlete. You would think it would be easy for an Asian like me who travelled more than 7,000 miles to get a photo session with him? Think again. I got mine, but not after coursing my request thru the right channel.

“This announcement has been super-delayed because of Floyd Mayweather. It’s the Art of the Deal working its magic. And no, it’s not because Mayweather doesn’t want to fight. Nor is he afraid of a Pacquiao. Let’s put it simply this way: Mayweather wants to be the one to steer the negotiation wherever he wants it to go. And so far he has been successful. Mayweather wins the first round even before the fight gets made.

“Also, a fight of this magnitude, with egos of those involved rivaling its size, this fight would not have been easy to make in the very first place. There’s the issue of who gets what (resolved, 60-40), the contract weight (147 lbs. or catchweight at 150), what gloves to use (Reyes or Grant), which outfit gets telecast right (HBO or Showtime), who gets to air the replay, who will make up the broadcast panel, who will announce (Michael Buffer or Jimmy Lennon), who goes up the ring first, who will be introduced first, how is the PPV sales going to be divided, who gets what corner color (red or blue), who will be the referee, who will be the judges, who will be the lead promoter, who will do the infomercials, which outfit gets right for all accreditations. For all we know, both camps are even at loggerheads as to whose name gets mentioned first in fight posters and advertising billboards.

“As for the promotion of the bout itself, yes, there is still time for that. Usually in major fights, they would allow a window of 4 to 5 months from fight announcement to fight date to allow ample time to promote the show. In this case, they don’t have that opportunity because of negotiation delay, but then again, this fight is so popular there is not much promoting needed to sell it. Lol, they can fight tomorrow and still pack the entire MGM and do more than a million PPV buys!

“As for fight preparations, both Mayweather and Pacquiao would need only 8 weeks or less to be in top condition. Both guys are professionals. They are in shape even with no fight schedule, and would need only a few weeks for the so-called sparring sessions and other ‘body alignments’ and tactical planning needed for the big show.”

Only 10 weeks remain. Why the delay? If he’s going to announce it anyway, why prolong the wait? Dozens upon dozens of articles in Philboxing.com all point to the same direction: May 2, 2015 will happen.

Cut the crap, Floyd. Sign the document that Manny Pacquiao has signed and announce the bout. Mayweather is taking us for a joyride aboard his Gulfstream III jet. He’s smiling that handsome and charismatic smile; he’s counting his estimated $280,000,000 net worth; he’s driving his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorarno or Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 or Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.

Sport is entertainment. We watch it to feel high or low; we applaud the first to cross the finish and we deride the beaten body lying on the canvas. But underneath our thrill and excitement — the root of all this entertainment — is one word: Money. And isn’t this guy’s nickname the same? This is all about money. Money the person. Money the denomination.

How to explain the delay? It’s called the “Apple strategy.” This was started by the late Steve Jobs and perfected by Tim Cook and the machination called Apple Inc. You know how the world’s biggest company (market capitalization: $740 billion) delays and keeps secret its latest iPad or iPhone to maximize the gossiping and to keep the millions of fanatics swimming in a news frenzy?

The iPhone-using Floyd is employing the same tactic used by the iPhone makers. The man from Las Vegas has learned a trick from the men from Cupertino.

It’s called suspense. Delay, delay, delay. Wait. Pause. Spread a tiny rumor here. Shake hands in Miami. Keep everyone guessing. Watch the NBA All-Star weekend beside Rihanna. Wait. Pause. Delay. Keep everyone salivating….. And when all throats are dry and all tongues are wagging, thirsty and hungry to receive the news… Boom! Like a left hook, you unveil the artwork.

The end result? When it’s finally announced, like when Apple revealed the months-long-rumored iPhone 6+ on the giant screen in California, everybody drools and all eyes are enlarged and mesmerized.

How do you explain this? Big fights usually get announced six or more months in advance. This one only has a lead time of two months? Crazy. If this were a small-time basketball or volleyball tournament, fine. But not the undisputed “Biggest Boxing Fight in History.”

Matthew Fellows, a columnist for Guardian Liberty Voice, wrote an interesting piece, “Mayweather-Pacquiao: Feeding Frenzy Calculated by Money Team,” last Feb. 16.

“Mayweather is extending this drama in order to get maximum exposure for Shots, the social media app he threw down one million dollars for where he plans on announcing the fight,” said Fellows. “He is all about maximizing his earnings even in announcing the fight and has been willing to drag fans along in torturous manner in order to fill his bank account.”

Nobody in sports is better in business than Mr. Mayweather, who tops the list of highest paid athletes in Forbes and Sports Illustrated. Hate him and despise him, but he’s amassed a mountain full of dollars — $105 million, to be exact, in 2014 alone.

Sport is business. I don’t know how they arrived at the computations but the May 2 clash is supposed to generate a total revenue of $250 million (in pesos, that’s nearly P10 billion).

“Despite what people who clearly know little about the greed of boxing people and their ability to drive up numbers, the fight is in the pipeline and will be announced soon enough,” added Fellows. “The more the media and fans alike obsess, the broader the smile on not only Mayweather’s face but on the big wigs who stand to make tens of millions on a fight that should have happened five years ago.”

Marketing. That’s what this is all about. It’s a business strategy. And it works. It’s word of mouth multiplied by millions of mouths and it’s for free. Except that, on fight night, we pay while Money makes all the money.

I recently met a top official who, after speaking to Manny Pacquiao earlier this week, confided to me the following: “Madayon ang fight!” Manny told him. Both camps have ironed out the details and are just awaiting for the Super Bowl to announce the bout. Two stumbling blocks previously stood in the way. First, the prize money. Manny agreed to a 60-40 split, in favor of Floyd, for the first $100 million; but he wanted a 75-25 split that would go to the winner (after $100 million). Floyd said no; Manny gave in. So it’s a 60-40 split all the way. Another challenge: the rematch clause. Manny wanted a one-fight contract (this way, if he wins, he’ll demand the terms of the rematch). But Floyd said no; Manny, again, relented. An interesting footnote, said my source: When asked how confident he was, Manny exuded his usual smiling bravado. Kaya ra na, said Manny. The reason why everyone has difficulty against Floyd is because they’re right-handers, said MP. When Floyd raises his shoulder as shield, guess what’s awaiting him? Manny’s left-handed smash.

This is perplexing. I don’t understand it. The question: Why Money won’t fight Manny. Maybe Money doesn’t need money? Is he afraid? Scared that his unblemished record will be tarnished? I say all of the above.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus Emmanuel Pacquiao. It’s the face-to-face bout that our planet’s seven billion people have been craving for. It’s what Mike Tyson wants. It’s what P-Noy wants. It’s what every Pinoy wants. Sadly, only one person can decide this and he says No.

Why? Reason No.1: He’s afraid to add a “1” to his “L” column. Mayweather is undefeated. He sports a 47-0 grade. Among those victories, he knocked-out 26. Why risk that perfect report card?

Floyd is trying to surpass the record of Rocky Marciano. The American, who lorded over the 1950s, won 49 and lost zero. Floyd is eyeing that figure. Don’t you think he wants to win thrice more, break Rocky’s streak and reach the magical “50?” That’s his goal. And a certain Gen. Santos City politician might thwart his plans.

Why risk it? He can fight Amir Khan. Win via unanimous decision. Seek a rematch. Win again. Reach 49 Ws. Fight one more unheralded bloke and summit that No. 50. Easy path, right?

Pacquiao has agreed to all of Mayweather’s requests. Blood testing. A smaller chunk of dollars to be harvested. Pacquiao is willing to bend, to bow, to accede to the spoiled-brat requests of Mr. Unpredictable just to face him inside that 23 ft. x 23 ft. platform.

Floyd’s response? Let’s do a 70-30 deal. What? Crazy. Well, yes, with that demand, he is. That’s preposterous. While a 50-50 deal is no longer possible — given Pacquiao’s two recent losses — that 70-30 proportion is out of proportion. Maybe 55-45? Or 60-40? Or how about a 55-35 split, with the last 10 percent going to the winner? If Floyd wins, he pockets 65%; if Manny wins, he nets 45. Fair? Actually, it’s unfair for Manny.. but sige nalang. To allow the “Fight of the Century” to happen, Manny’s willing to be Mr. Humility.

Is Floyd avoiding Manny because he’s a righty and he’s a lefty? One man thinks so. “The real problem is that Mayweather is so damn smart when it comes to boxing,” said Bob Arum, whom I had the chance to meet last year and who just turned 83 last Dec. 8. “He (Floyd) realizes that of all the fighters fought and all the fighters out there that Manny poses the biggest threat. Why? Because Manny is fast, Manny can punch and Manny is left handed. Floyd never wants to fight a left handed fighter because his style is designed to fight orthodox fighters.”

We know the strength of Floyd. It’s that “shield” called his left shoulder that he raises to cover his head that makes him impossible to hit. But, says Arum, that stance is good for everybody else — but not against Manny The Lefty. “If you look at his style and how he fights defensively,” said Arum, “everything he does is designed against a right-handed fighter.”

Arum is The Godfather of Boxing Promoters. When he speaks, people listen. He makes sense. With a potential windfall of at least $50 million (P2.25 billion), it’s shocking that anyone, even someone as wealthy as Floyd, will turn down that kind of cash. But, week after year after month, Floyd has spurned Manny’s hand to fight.

Instead, Mayweather is opting for weaker choices, favoring to meet the winner of today’s bout between Khan or Devon Alexander. Even Miguel Cotto, whom he defeated in 2012, is another possible opponent. Cotto would be a rehash; a has-been.

“To get Mayweather in the ring with Pacquiao is a monumental task,” said Arum. “Not because of splits, not because of money, because Manny stands the best chance of anybody that Floyd has faced to beat him.”

The key to Floyd’s yes? It’s to bait him. To tempt him by saying, “Why not be undefeated-for-life and finish 50-0 by beating Manny before you retire?”

This might tempt the narcissistic Floyd. Then, after he agrees, Manny beats him. Manny retires as Floyd heads home with his head bowed, his left shoulder swollen as big as his ego.