Pacquiao skips press con to get '16 stitches'

Manny Pacquiao wasn't able to attend the post-fight press conference on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) to get a cut fixed, promoter Bob Arum said.

Arum, the Top Rank chief executive, said Pacquiao needed "16 stitches" but didn't elaborate on the nature of the injury.

Pacquiao defeated Jessie Vargas to win the WBO welterweight championship.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Koncz assures Pacquiao still motivated to fight

Just because he has announced his retirement doesn’t mean Manny Pacquiao is no longer motivated to win in his farewell fight.

On the contrary, his adviser Michael Koncz said Pacquiao is already raring to go back to training to ensure a memorable final fight against Timothy Bradley on April 9.

“He told me that when he gets back from the press tour, he will begin training,” Koncz told Boxing Scene after his heart-to-heart talk with the fighting congressman.

The Canadian adviser wanted to check if Pacquiao still has in his heart to slug it out for 12 more rounds even as the Filipino boxer prepares to run for senator this May.

But Pacquiao assured him that he would be practically distraction-free when he starts training after the press tour in the US.


“I think that he will be going to the gym before the end of the month,” said Koncz.

Pacquiao will split his training camp between the Philippines and Los Angeles. The Bradley fight is supposedly his last before focusing on politics full time.

"He's always given us everything that he's ever had," Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum said of Pacquiao at a press conference in Los Angeles. "If this is truly the last time, Manny, it's been a great ride, and I want to thank you for everything."

Pacquiao, for his part, said he is happy with his decision to retire.

"I've been boxing more than 20 years, and I think it's enough for me," he said. "After this fight, I'm going to hang up my gloves and focus on my countrymen, to help the people."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao-Khan showdown is possible: Arum

A bout between former sparring partners Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan is possible for 2016, according to Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum.

Khan, who was snubbed by unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a September 12 fight date, has turned his attention to Pacquiao, his former stable mate back when they were both trained by Freddie Roach.

"If he (Mayweather) is not going to man up and fight me, then I'll have to fight Manny Pacquiao or someone like that," Khan said in a recent interview. "I really believe that fight can be made easily. I think Manny is a man and he would definitely take that fight."

In an interview with The Telegraph, Arum said he can make it happen.

"This kid, Amir Khan, keeps shooting his mouth off about Manny Pacquiao," he said. "I can arrange for Khan to fight Pacquiao."

"Amir Khan has been begging Mayweather for a fight, and now he can get a major fight. I'm not a hard guy to deal with. I'm not going to mess them around," he added.

But Arum made it clear that the fight can't happen in 2015 as Pacquiao is still recovering from the shoulder injury that he sustained while training for his May 2 "Fight of the Century" against Mayweather. It can be held next year in the Middle East, said the promoter.

"He'll fight early next year, and probably in the Middle East. Vegas is a possibility, but more likely in the Middle East. It won't be in Dubai, but it will be in the Middle East. If not, we'll do it in Vegas," said Arum.

One thing that Arum is sure of is that Pacquiao will win against Khan.

"It's a good fight. Manny beats him, though, in my opinion," he said. "Manny is getting up in age, so you never know what's going to happen. But I think he hits too hard for Khan."

Arum does feel that Khan should have been given the chance to fight Mayweather, and is disappointed that the unbeaten American chose Andre Berto as his opponent.

"That's a farce," Arum said of the Mayweather-Berto match-up. "Mayweather should have fought Khan next. It would have been an interesting fight."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Floyd hits Top Rank, Koncz for 'treatment' of Pacquiao

American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. criticized Top Rank Promotions and Michael Koncz, claiming that they have been mistreating his rival, Filipino icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.

Mayweather, who is set to face off against Pacquiao on May 2 in the so-called "Fight of the Century," shed some more light on their chance meeting in Miami that helped make the bout happen.

Pacquiao and Mayweather famously met at a game between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks, talked at halftime, and exchanged numbers. The American later talked to the "Pacman" in his hotel room to clear the air about the fight.

"When Michael Koncz came over to me and said Manny wanted to take a picture with me, I said, 'No, I don't want to take a picture with (Manny) because you're a liar'," Mayweather said, as quoted by Boxing Scene.

The boxer further accused Koncz of lying "years ago," saying Pacquiao's adviser told him that he was in control.

"You (Koncz) gave me your phone number and said all I had to do was call you to make the fight happened. You said (Top Rank chief executive) Bob (Arum) was not in control. You told me," Mayweather said, explaining his conversation with Koncz.

"Then I said, 'you told me and you said you were a man of your word and haven't been a man of your word, so no, I'm not taking your picture with Manny Pacquiao. That's a no-go'," he added.

Mayweather said he told Pacquiao that Arum has been lying to him and to the media.

"(I told Pacquiao), if you take random blood and urine testing and it's on an even playing field, we can make the fight happen. I told him I don't want Michael Koncz's number. I've got Michael Koncz's number – he's full of sh*t," Mayweather said.

Mayweather further told Pacquiao that Koncz "don't work for you." "He don't care about your well-being. I know what happens behind the scenes in the sport of boxing," he said.

"On Saturday, you will see the difference in the paydays," he guaranteed.

The unbeaten boxer said he does not think Pacquiao is being treated well by Arum, and points to the hotel that he was staying in Miami as evidence.

"I don't know why they had him staying at that type of hotel," he said. "Like I said before – the treatment. It wasn't right."

"I'm not here to put the hotel on blast, but it wasn't right. Financially, I don't think Top Rank treated him right for this fight," he added.

Mayweather used to be promoted by Arum and Top Rank before an ill-tempered split in 2006 that saw the American take control of his own career. He has since been working with boxing manager Al Haymon, whom he credits with helping him become the highest-paid athlete in the world.

Mayweather believes that if Pacquiao had been working with Haymon instead of Top Rank, then he would be even richer.

"I told him that I'm surprised that he's not working with Al Haymon. If he was working with us directly, I think he would have made a lot more money," said the American boxer. "He would have really made $100 million, if he would have worked with us."

Arum refused to get into a war of words with Mayweather.

"Floyd should mind his own business," he told Boxing Scene in a separate interview. "I'm not going to reduce this to a dialogue, one way or another, with Floyd."

"You saw at the press conference with Pacquiao today, there wasn't one bad thing said about Mayweather. We're not going to say one bad thing about Mayweather," he added.

"We're not going to answer him back and so forth. He's the master of trash talking. He's not going to upset Manny Pacquiao. I'm not going to respond to him."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao opens camp to media

LOS ANGELES – After weeks of settling for limited access, some 300 media members packed the Wild Card Gym for Manny Pacquiao's media day on Thursday.

Pacquiao kept his promise to arrive early after seeing how his May 2 opponent, Floyd Mayweather Jr., kept the media waiting for nearly two hours during his own media day on Wednesday.

Pacquiao did a series of interviews that lasted for well over two hours, and proclaimed his faith whenever he had the chance.

"The Lord will always be there with me," he said. "I want them to remember that not only I inspired them, but in following God."

It was one of the most packed media days the gym has ever seen, with members of the press forced to pack the upper floor of the Wild Card Gym like sardines.

"Ito ang pinaka-grabe," said Fernandez.

Despite the big crowd and all the questions, Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, declined to give his latest estimate on how much money the so-called "Fight of the Century" can make, especially when it comes to pay-per-view numbers.

"Your guess is as good as my guess. How the hell do I know?" Arum said.

"I just know it will be a big number. Will it be three million? Will it be four million? How would I know?" he added.

As for tickets which are expected to finally go on sale, the Hall-of-Fame promoter offered an old-school solution.

"The idea that tickets aren't on sale yet is ridiculous," he said. "Remember how it was in the old days, when you went to a baseball game, people would line up to buy tickets at the box office the day of the game?"

"Maybe that's what they'll do."

At the end of the three-hour day, one person was happy it was finally over.

"This is part of life," said chief trainer Freddie Roach. "We know we have to sell the fight. Well, not this fight, because it's already sold out."

"I haven't seen any tickets yet, but it's the biggest fight in the world and it's a real honor to have this many people in my gym," he added.

Pacquiao only shadow-boxed and did a few minutes on the mitts in the gym, but he was able to run at the Griffith Park in the morning and did some agility drills.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Mayweather-Pacquiao revenue over $400M: report

LAS VEGAS -- Record-shattering revenue totals for Manny Pacquiao's upcoming boxing showdown with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather could surpass $400 million, promoter Bob Arum told ESPN in a report Monday on the sports network's website.

The welterweight title unification fight May 2 in Las Vegas will generate $74 million from just over 15,000 tickets at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pacquiao promoter Arum told ESPN, flattening the old mark of just over $20 million for Mayweather's 2013 fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in the same venue.

Promoters first aimed for $40 million, then boosted the ticket prices from $1,000 to $1,500 at the low end and $5,000 to $7,500 for the best seats due to huge demand for the ducats, Arum said.

But organizers have now shuffled the number of seats in various price ranges and boosted top seats to $10,000 to raise the live gate total from $50 million to $74 million.

"It's crazy, but it is what it is," Arum told ESPN. "It's amazing."

And few if any seats will be available for public sale, with promoters, telecasters HBO and Showtime, the fighters and the host venue each taking a share of the tickets.

"We'll probably have a handful of tickets that will go on sale to the public next week," Arum said. "It's mania."

There will be only about 1,100 seats at $10,000, none of them for public sale, according to the report.

Boxing's record for pay-per-view purchases is the 2.4 million buys from Mayweather's 2007 split-decision victory over Oscar de la Hoya, but with Mayweather-Pacquiao having taken more than five years to come together with the planet's top pound-for-pound fighters, expectations of 3 million pay-per-view buys at about $100 each could bring $300 million in sales for US, Puerto Rican and Canadian markets alone.

"We wouldn't have gotten a fraction of these numbers if we made the fight five years ago," Arum said. "It turned out that we're doing the fight at the right time, I guess, not that we're geniuses for waiting this long."

Global rights are expected to ring up another $35 million, with a record $10 million already spent for rights in the Philippines, where Pacquiao is a Congressman as well as an iconic figure.

"Between the gate, the foreign television sales and the closed circuit, which we can't even calculate yet, you're looking at over $120 million. And that's before one pay-per-view has been sold in the US," Arum told ESPN.

Arum said Tecate beer, a long-time Pacquiao sponsor, won title sponsor rights with a $5.6 million bid, $400,000 more than rival Corona, a long-time backer of Mayweather.

"We've never see anything like that on a beer sponsor," Arum said. "Both companies were after it. It's a huge number."

Mayweather's camp receives 60 percent of the revenue with Pacquiao's side taking home 40 percent.

Arum said the contract gives Pacquiao the choice of who sings his homeland's national anthem before the bout while Mayweather decides who will sing "The Star Spangled Banner."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao, Floyd finally reach deal: report

Arum, Showtime exec deny report

MANILA, Philippines – Floyd Mayweather Jr. has reportedly agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao, according to an online report published Saturday.

Celebrity news site TMZ said Pacquiao and Mayweather, today’s top pound-for-pound fighters, have finally hammered out a deal after years of back and forth negotiations.

"Floyd Mayweather has agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao ... multiple sources tell TMZ Sports ... who say the two finally came to an agreement moments ago," the site wrote.



The report came out after the two boxers met face-to-face at an NBA game earlier this week. This was followed by another meeting when Mayweather visited Pacquiao at the latter's hotel room.

Both camps are said to have agreed to stage the fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 2.

The report, however, was disputed by Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum and Showtime Sports boxing chief Stephen Espinoza.

Arum said they have yet to settle the finer details of the bout, hence the reason there has not been any official announcements.

"I'm aware of the report, but there are still some contractual issues to work out," the veteran boxing promoter told New York Daily News. "It’s close but not done yet."

Espinoza, for his part said the TMZ report was inaccurate.

"TMZ usually has good sources. This time, not so much," he said wrote on his official account on social media site Twitter.

But Arum said they could come out will a formal announcement in two days, in time for Super Bowl Sunday (Monday in Manila).

"We have two days, it could happen (Sunday)," he said. "That would be incredible, wouldn’t it?"

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Floyd camp already finalizing deal, says insider

MANILA, Philippines – A member of Floyd Mayweather’s team has confirmed that the negotiations for the super bout with Manny Pacquiao are already close to being done.

After Top Rank’s Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao has already agreed to all the terms laid out by Mayweather’s camp, Sam Watson, a close associate of Mayweather’s adviser Al Haymon, said the announcement for a May 2 bout is already “imminent.”

“They’re putting it together now,” Watson said in The Guardian. “They’re going to do a Showtime-HBO [joint pay-per-view] like they did last time with Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. They’re working on the monies now and everything they’ve got to work on to make it happen.”

“I can’t wait. It’s going to be huge.”

Watson made the statement following a news conference that announced a multi-year agreement between NBC and Haymon Boxing. It is Watson who spoke on behalf of Haymon, who is known to avoid the press despite his image as the most powerful figure in the boxing industry.

“I believe it’s going to happen. I believe that everybody involved wants it to happen. I know Floyd wants it,” Watson said regarding the most-awaited fight.

People have been clamoring for the super fight for several years now but negotiations between the two camps have repeatedly fallen apart over various issues, including drug testing and the purse split.

But interest for the mega bout has been revived last November when Pacquiao dominated a defense-conscious Chris Algieri.

The Filipino immediately called out Mayweather for the fight “everyone wants to see.” Mayweather responded through an interview on CBS’ Showtime, saying that he wants it to happen on May 2.

A laborious but progressive negotiation process immediately followed and on Wednesday, Arum said Pacquiao has consented to all the terms laid out by the Mayweather side.

Among the conditions reportedly agreed upon are that the bout will be held on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and that the purse split will be 60-40, with Mayweather getting the upside of the share.

Pacquiao himself is waiting for Mayweather to formalize the deal.

“What I can only say is ano man ang mangyari sa mga susunod na araw, sisiguruhin kong magiging maganda ito para sa boksing at sa fans,” said the eight-division champion in a previous report.

“Hintayin na lang natin kung anong mangyayari. Ilang araw na lang naman,” he added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya speaks up on Pacquiao-Floyd fight

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya is willing to work with Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum to put together and promote a bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather – potentially the richest fight in the history of the sport.

Mayweather finally spoke out in an Showtime interview last weekend and said he is ready and willing to fight Pacquiao on May 2, 2015.

"I know he is not on my level. The fans would love to see the fight, and of course, I want to go out with a bang," said Mayweather, who also claimed that Arum is to blame for the collapse in negotiations.

De La Hoya, in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN North America, said he has long dreamed of witnessing a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown.

"Obviously, this fight should've taken place five years ago," said De La Hoya. "A lot of people say that they're not the same fighters they once were."

"Obviously, five years ago they were younger, they were faster, they were stronger. But the fight is still intriguing, even at this point, because you have the best against the best," he added.

"Manny Pacquiao is a tremendous, tremendous champion, a global superstar, and Mayweather is a guy who brings a lot to the table."

De La Hoya even said he is open to working with Top Rank's Arum – his longtime rival – to promote the fight next year.

"I would love to work with Bob and promote that event, absolutely," he said. "There is something that I bring to the table, obviously the Hispanic factor, which we know is probably the biggest fan base that generates tons of numbers. It's something to think about."

Arum, for his part, claimed that Showtime network executives are pressuring Mayweather to accept the fight.

"It's pushing, you know, but it takes a lot to push Mayweather because he is not anxious to fight Manny," Arum said. "I know why – Manny figures not only to win, but to knock him out."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Guess how much Pacquiao will earn from Algieri fight

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – In just six weeks, the Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri fight will take place in Macau, China, and both fighters are gearing up for one of the most anticipated boxing matches of the year.

"It should be a great fight, and I hope Manny is gonna train very, very hard for this fight, because Algieri has the size advantage," said Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum. "He is a very intelligent kid, and he moves very well."

"Manny has to be on top of his game," he added.

In an exclusive interview with Balitang America, Arum also confirmed the boxers' fight purses.

"Manny's purse, from various sources, is guaranteed to be not less than $20 million," said Arum. "But what Chris is getting, that's up to his promoter, but I'm paying him $2.75 million."

When asked about Pacquiao's tax woes, Arum said: "The Philippines has a very good judicial system and Manny went to court in the Philippines and got an injunction against the tax people, because what they were doing was absolutely insane."

"They were taxing him on revenue that didn't exist, and when they asked her what was her theory as for the revenue, she said she read it in the newspaper," added Arum, referring to Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares.

Arum noted that Henares perhaps didn't realize that there are other expenses and "that the promoter has to get paid."

"What Manny got paid is a public record. Her conduct is, as an outsider, is really disturbing, and I think there's a lot of politics," Arum added.

It was last year when the Bureau of Internal Revenue froze some of Pacquiao's bank accounts, days after the boxer's victory against Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios.

Arum said that although it is inappropriate for him to comment on government officials, he believes that President Benigno Aquino III should take action.

"I think the President should be aware on what's happening and what she's doing, what a loose cannon she seems to be, and take appropriate action," said Arum.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya seeks Pacquiao-Canelo fight

Former boxer-turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya sought out Top Rank Inc.’s Bob Arum in an effort to arrange a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mexican star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

De La Hoya returned to the helm as president of Golden Boy Promotions seven months after checking himself into rehab for substance abuse.

He is now making peace with his former promoter for a possible superfight between the Filipino superstar and the Mexican junior middleweight.

“Anything’s possible,” De La Hoya said in Lance Pugmire’s report to LA Times. “That’s one of the reasons I was extending the olive branch. The fans want to see these kinds of fights.”

Arum, for his part, said he is willing to settle his differences with De La Hoya, who rose to boxing superstardom while fighting under Top Rank.

“I’d be happy to talk to Oscar about any subject in boxing he wishes to talk to me about,” he said.

“All this baloney about a cold war has never really applied to Oscar and myself. We can talk about any subject in boxing rationally. … We might disagree on a particular point, but we can talk. I hope we’ll get together and have some significant meetings in the near future.”

The proposed Pacquiao-Alvarez bout could turn out to be a lucrative fight as Canelo enjoys a huge following in Mexico.

The weight, however, is expected to become a sticking point.

Although Pacquiao briefly held the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title, he currently campaigns as a welterweight (147 pounds). The Filipino fought Antonio Margarito for the WBC crown at a 150-pound catchweight in 2010.

Just recently, boxing coach Freddie Roach announced that he wants Pacquiao to return to 140 pounds.

Alvarez last 12 fights, on the other hand, all took place in the junior middleweight division.

The last time he went lower than the junior middleweight limit was when he fought -- and lost to -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a catchweight of 152 pounds in 2013.

Meanwhile, De La Hoya refused to answer questions regarding the supposed Pacquiao-Mayweather superfight.

“I don’t speak for Mayweather,” he said.

 source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya wants to patch things up with Arum

Golden Boy Promotions founder Oscar de la Hoya plans to reach out and make peace with his former promoter, Top Rank Inc.’s Bob Arum.

The two have been at odds since figuring in several acrimonious lawsuits over the promotional rights of Manny Pacquiao. Several high-profile fights, including the supposed Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, failed to materialize due to their differences.

De la Hoya, however, said he wanted to end the conflict for the boxing fans.

“Look, all the animosity, all the bad words that have been going back and forth; there's no need for it. Boxing is a sport that I love dearly and we're both adults. Bob Arum did a lot for my career and I really appreciate it. I can honestly say that I love the guy because he's someone who did a lot for my career ad really catapulted my career and did a tremendous job in promoting my career. He's a master at what he does,” the former boxer-turned promoter said in Boxing Scene.

De la Hoya said he plans to sit down with Arum and have a heart-to-heart talk with his former promoter.

“I will meet with Bob Arum one day and I will sit down with him and I do hope things get worked out and patched up because that's what the fans need. The boxing fans want to see all these great fights happen. So Hopefully one day it'll happen," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao must prove he is better than Bradley

Hall-of-Fame boxing trainer Freddie Roach is convinced that his prized ward, Manny Pacquiao, won his June 2012 showdown against American Timothy Bradley Jr. but is open to a rematch so that the “Pacman” can avenge his controversial loss.

It has been widely reported that Pacquiao and Bradley will face off again in April, although Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum has since clarified that they are still working on finalizing the terms of the deal.

Roach, speaking to Max Boxing, believes Pacquiao can continue the career revival that he began last December should a fight against Bradley push through.

“It looks like Bradley might be in the picture,” said Roach. “Sometimes, you have to avenge your losses. Even though I felt we won that fight, it’s still a loss in the records.”

Bradley infamously defeated Pacquiao via split decision when they fought in June 2012, even with the Filipino boxer seemingly winning decisively.

“I still think Manny needs to prove he is the better fighter,” said Roach. “They are talking about that next. It’s a tough fight. (Bradley) is still one of the toughest fights out there.”

But Pacquiao, who snapped a two-fight losing streak by demolishing Brandon Rios last November, can gain his revenge on Bradley if he dedicates himself the way he did against Rios.

“If Manny fights how he did in his last fight, I think he will do very well,” Roach said.

Roach was very impressed with Pacquiao’s performance against Rios, wherein the Filipino fighter showed no ill-effects from the knockout he suffered at the hands of rival Juan Manuel Marquez the year before.

Against the slow-footed Rios, Pacquiao showcased his impressive footwork and speed, barely taking punishment on his way to a wide decision victory.

“He fought a smart fight,” Roach said of Pacquiao. “I was really happy about that. He fought a very intelligent fight and I thought he won every round.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Arum insists Pacquiao fulfilled duties with IRS

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing promoter Bob Arum insisted that his prized fighter Manny Pacquiao has already fulfilled his tax obligations in the United States, contrary to what has been claimed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Arum said his outfit, Top Rank Inc., has already supplied every document the BIR needed to prove that the boxer has nothing or very little to settle with the local internal revenue service.

Top Rank is in charge of processing Pacquiao’s tax obligations with the US Internal Revenue Service.

“That stuff with the Philippines taxes is ridiculous. We've supplied them with all of our records showing that we've deducted and withheld 30% of Manny's purses and remitted it to the IRS. We have receipts from the IRS, everything,” Arum said in USA Today.

“Manny owes no tax or very little tax in the Philippines because he paid the taxes on his income that doesn't come from the United States. The U.S. and Philippines have a treaty where its people can't be double-taxed,” he added.

Arum blames Pacquiao’s tax woes to local politics.

“I wanna ask the BIR ...how many times have they asked for certification from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? Probably slim and far between. So what they're doing to Manny is absolutely outrageous and it's politics at its worst,” the promoter said in a separate interview with ABS-CBN North America’s Bev Llorente.

Arum, however, could not defend Pacquiao’s spending habits. In a separate article, the promoter said the boxer is being too generous with his money.

Arum hinted that the Filipino fighter might find himself in dire straits if he doesn’t to handle his riches well.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Top Rank mails US tax returns to Pacquiao lawyers

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Boxing promotion company Top Rank Inc. has already mailed certified true copies of Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao's tax returns in the US to the fighting congressman's lawyers in the Philippines, its CEO Bob Arum said.

Top Rank's chief financial officer, Dave Lopez, also exclusively showed Pacquiao's tax returns to ABS-CBN North America Bureau in light of the boxer's tax problems with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in the Philippines.

Arum, a former tax lawyer himself who used to work for the Department of Justice tax division in New York, said it was his job to take taxes religiously before he became a promoter.

Noting that there are many Filipinos working in the US who pay taxes and are also obligated to pay taxes in the Philippines, Arum said: “I wanna ask the BIR ...how many times have they asked for certification from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)? Probably slim and far between. So what they're doing to Manny is absolutely outrageous and it's politics at its worst.”

Arum then invited BIR commissioner Kim Henares to send her agents from the Philippines to the United States to look and audit all of Pacquiao's earnings from Top Rank.

“Let them come to our office let them sit down and we will take them through every single wire transfer because I can represent here today that for all the time we promoted Manny 30 percent was taken out of any moneys paid to Manny and that includes not only his fights but also endorsements in the United States,” he said.

According to Arum, under US law, Top Rank promotions is required to pay the IRS funds withheld from fights and endorsements in the US, and copy-furnish those withholdings electronically to the BIR.

However, he said the BIR does not accept this information by this procedure and is demanding a certified true copy obtained from the IRS.

Arum insisted that Top Rank has provided all the necessary and pertinent papers as well as receipts to prove that Pacquiao has paid taxes in the US.

But he remains hopeful that the bell will ring soon to bring an end to Pacquiao's current tax bout.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Arum: Pacquiao's tax documents coming soon

MANILA, Philippines – Fighting congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will submit the necessary documents proving he paid taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for his bouts in the United States, his promoter, Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum, said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Arum said Top Rank has the “deposit confirmations for each payment” that they have gone to the IRS in Pacquiao’s behalf.

“Top Rank has done the same for all U.S. endorsements it has facilitated on Manny’s behalf,” he added.

Arum said Top Rank has submitted copies of the electronic funds transfer (EFT) deposit acknowledgements to the Bureau of Internal Revenue as proof of payment.

"The BIR received the documents, but directed Manny to obtain ‘certified’ directly from the IRS itself,” he said.

“As I am sure people appreciate, obtaining certified copies of documents from the IRS takes time. Manny made the formal request to the IRS, and we have every expectation that necessary documents will be furnished to the BIR very soon,” he stressed.

According to the IRS website, getting an exact copy of a previously filed and processed tax return requires completing a form and mailing it to the IRS.

“If you need an exact copy of a previously filed and processed tax return and all attachments (including Form W-2), you should complete Form 4506 (PDF), Request for Copy of Tax Return, and mail it to the address listed in the instructions, along with a $50.00 fee (fee change effective 10/1/2013) for each tax return requested. The check or money order for the fee should be made payable to the ‘United States Treasury,’ also enter your SSN or EIN and ‘Form 4506 request’ on your check or money order. Copies are generally available for returns filed in the current and past six years. Copies of jointly filed tax returns may be requested by either spouse and only one signature is required. Allow 60 calendar days to receive your copies,” the IRS website said.

Arum’s statement comes after Pacquiao claimed on Tuesday that his bank accounts in the Philippines have been garnished over allegations of unpaid taxes from his fights in the United States from 2008 to 2009.

Pacquiao appeared on television yesterday appealing to the BIR regarding his case, saying he was financially paralyzed and unable to help the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas as he had promised.

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares countered by saying that only P1.1 million of Pacquiao’s money has been seized. Moreover, she said the bureau has been asking Pacquiao for a copy of his tax return filed before the IRS since 2010.

“Since 2010, pinapa-explain namin sa kanya kasi dapat nire-report niya ‘yung total na kinita niya. Dapat ipakita rin niya ‘yung total na binayad niya sa Amerika na buwis. Dalawang taon kami nag-antay, hindi siya makapagpakita ng mga dokumento na ‘yan,” Henares said.

Pacquiao’s announcement came two days after his morale-boosting victory over Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios in Macau, his first boxing win since November 2011.

According to Arum, for each of Pacquiao’s fights that occurred in the United States, including those in 2008 and 2009, Top Rank "withheld 30% of Manny’s purses and paid those monies directly to the IRS" via EFT. -- With a report from Agence France-Presse and Jon Carlos Rodriguez, ABS-CBNnews.com

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao may earn up to $30M in Rios fight

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is guaranteed to earn $18 million for his non-title welterweight showdown against Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, his promoter confirmed on Wednesday.

Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum told Yahoo! Sports reporter Kevin Iole that Pacquiao was guaranteed $18 million, but that number can rise significantly once the pay-per-view revenue is factored in.

Pacquiao can end up earning as much as $30 million for the fight, which will be his first in nearly a year.

Meanwhile, Rios is guaranteed $4 million.

Pacquiao is seeking to bounce back from back-to-back losses in 2012, having lost to Timothy Bradley controversially in June before getting knocked out by rival Juan Manuel Marquez in December.

Rios is also coming off a loss – the first of his career – when he was outpointed by Mike Alvarado in their rematch last March.

The Pacquiao-Rios showdown, billed the "Clash in Cotai," will be held in Macau on November 24 (Manila time).

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao, Rios undergo drug testing ahead of fight

MANILA – Filipino ring legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and American fighter Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios have been tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) ahead of their November 24 fight.

VADA founder Margaret Goodman told RingTV that both fighters have already been tested, as stipulated in their contract.

“I can confirm that both fighters have been tested by VADA,” Goodman said. “The results that we get go directly to the fighter, or to whomever he designates from his camp.”

“They got to the promoter, which is obviously Top Rank, the China Commission, and it goes to the Association of Boxing Commissioners,” she added.

Goodman said VADA will not release the results to the public, but “the fighter can release results to the public at any time.”

It is the first time in his career that Pacquiao is undergoing random drug testing for a fight. It has been a controversial issue with the Filipino boxer, as random drug testing was one of the demands of unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather for a mega-fight between the two.

Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum confirmed last May that they are paying for the random drug testing.

It is the third time that Top Rank has utilized the services of VADA. The organization also conducted the random drug testing for Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov in their March 2013 fight, as well as for Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux in their April 2013 fight.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fortune won't be able to help Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao has tapped conditioning coach Justin Fortune to take the place of his former strength trainer Alex Ariza.

Unfortunately for Pacquiao, Fortune won’t be able to fly to the Philippines.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum told Philboxing’s Ronnie Nathanielsz that the Australian conditioning coach is having problems securing his visa.

“It looks like he won’t come not because he doesn’t want to come or people don’t want him to come because Freddie Roach wants him to come, it's just the problem of adjusting his visa which is a little complicated,” said Arum.

Pacquiao was looking forward to working with Fortune again after mending fences with boxing trainer Freddie Roach.

Fortune was the Filipino boxer’s former strength trainer before Ariza came into the picture.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Arum mulls super-tournament for Pacquiao, 'action fighters'

MANILA – Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is mulling a boxing super-tournament that will revolve around Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.

With Marquez “unwilling” to fight Pacquiao, Arum is thinking of holding an event similar to Showtime’s “Super 6 World Boxing Classic.”

But instead of having six fighters, Arum’s tournament will have four: Pacquiao, Marquez, Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios.

"I've got four guys and after the March 30 rematch between [Brandon] Rios and Mike Alvarado, they will sit down with me and we will figure this thing out," the promoter told Boxing Scene’s Ronnie Nathanielsz.

"Manny might fight Rios if he beats Alvarado, or he might fight Bradley in a rematch or Marquez in a fifth fight. I've got four attractive fighters and we'll mix and match them."

Arum said fights involving the four boxers will surely be blockbuster hits since all four guarantee explosive fights.

He even described Pacquiao and company as “action fighters.”

"They (fans) want to see action. Alvarado and Rios are action fighters. Bradley showed he's an action fighter. They don't play around. They don't dance around. They fight,” said Arum.

"That's what the public wants to see. Marquez is an action fighter. Pacquiao is an action fighter. We'll mix and match as we go on because they are the big fights that people want to see."

source: abs-cbnnews.com