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Row over purse KOs Pacquiao-Hatton fight
Written by staff   
Saturday, 24 January 2009 00:43

A planned May 2 showdown between Britain’s Ricky Hatton and Filipino hero Manny Pacquiao has been called off after the two fighters’ camps could not agree on how to split the purse.

Pacquiao, the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, let a Wednesday night Hatton deadline lapse on the Briton’s final offer of a 52-48 split in the Filipino’s favor.

“Basically, the two camps could not agree on the purse,” Pacquiao aide Jeng Gacal was quoted by Agence France-Press as saying in Manila Thursday, referring to the reported $24-million kitty for what had been billed as one of the biggest fights in years.

“Manny did not sign it,” Gacal said, confirming reports that the mega fight, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, was off.

Eric Pineda, the business manager of Pacquiao, Thursday night made conflicting statements when asked about the status of the Filipino’s proposed super-fight with Hatton.

Now off, now on?

Pineda confirmed that the fight had been called off, but later said the Pacquiao camp was still “back at the negotiating table.”

“Hopefully, they will meet Manny halfway,” he said.

Pacquiao, who had earlier demanded a 60-percent share of the prize, later lowered it to 55-45.

He also made it clear he would even agree to a 52-48 split “for as long as the minimum guaranteed purse is raised,” Gacal said.

However, “the Hatton camp refused to give in,” Gacal said.

Other options

Richard Schaefer, chief executive for Hatton backers Golden Boy Promotions, told ESPN and the Los Angeles Times that the bout was called off by Hatton after Pacquiao would not sign a deal by the Wednesday deadline.

“The fight is off,” Schaefer told ESPN. “We’re pursuing our other options. That’s it. The Hattons called me and asked again if we had a signed deal from Pacquiao and when I said we didn’t, they said they won’t sit around anymore.”

Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, said the Filipino wanted more money and a bigger split of the profits from the 50-50 deal, for what would have been a Las Vegas spectacle.

“Manny decided not to sign. He was unhappy with the terms,” Arum told ESPN. “The fight is off. The suits can posture but it’s the fighters who have to go in the ring and fight. But I am not thrilled right now.”

“You never say never, but right now it’s off,” Arum said. “Hatton’s shopping around for a new opponent now.”

$12-M guarantee

Arum said the original agreement was for the two fighters to split their shares 50-50, with Pacquiao having a $12-million guarantee. That deal fell through when Pacquiao demanded the bigger percentage, and a new agreement called for him to get 52 percent of the purse.

But Arum said he couldn’t get Pacquiao to sign the new deal, and that Hatton’s promoter, Schaefer, decided on Wednesday to cancel the ongoing preparations for the 140-pound (63½-kg) bout.

Pacquiao was coming off a dominating win over Oscar De La Hoya and was generally considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Hatton was an attractive opponent because he would bring ticket and pay-per-view sales from England for the fight, which had been scheduled for the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas.

Another foe for Hatton

Pacquiao adviser Rex Salud earlier said there would be no Hatton fight “unless the numbers move to his (Pacquiao’s) favor.”

The Hatton camp insists there has been a verbal agreement on an equal split.
 
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