He said that a single misstep inside the court could have jeopardized the pay-per-view event. If the fight doesn't happen, it will mean losses for those who have invested in the fight.
“Well, I found out that he was playing before he played and I was not a very happy camper. Professional basketball, no matter the country where it is played, is a rugged sport and a player can turn an ankle very, very easily. These players in the NBA are fantastic physical specimens and yet they get injured all the time. An injury would have really wreaked havoc on the fight so I was not very pleased,” Arum said in the media conference call promoting Pacquiao’s fight against Chris Algieri.
The conference call held in General Santos City on Thursday was attended by Pacquiao, his coach Freddie Roach, and Arum.
But Arum said he was assured by Team Pacquiao it would be his last game before taking on the 5’10” Algieri.
“Manny has assured Freddie and Freddie has assured me that that’s it. After he does the fight on November 22nd, if he wants to try out for the New York Knicks, that’s OK with me,” he said.
Pacquiao, for his part, reasoned out that playing hoops does not have a negative impact on his training at all.
He said basketball serves as his cross training and therefore helps him improve his conditioning and footwork for the fight.
“It does not affect my training because basketball is on Sunday and we do not train on Sunday. Basketball is also good for footwork and balancing. It helps a lot and that is why I am always in shape when I don’t have a fight because I am always playing basketball,” said the fighting congressman, who is now also a basketball playing coach.
“Basketball provides me with great cross-training.”
Arum admitted that he could not stop the boxing star from playing basketball. He, however, said he trusts Pacquiao will stick to his promise to stay away from hoops until fight night.
“Some of our fighters are motorcycle guys and did a lot of crazy things so there we definitely put it in the contract. But with Manny, you are absolutely right. We have a different kind of relationship, one built on a mutual respect and mutual trust and so we wouldn’t put it in the contract because of the fact we feel he will do the right thing,” he said.
Just like Pacquiao, his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. plays basketball, too. He was even quoted that he could have made it to the NBA if he took the game seriously.
When asked who’s the better ball player, Pacquiao said he trusts Roach’s appraisal.
“I don’t want to say myself,” he said while laughing. “But Freddie said [It’s] me.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
