Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton have been squabbling over the splits for their proposed May 2 junior welterweight match, attracting more attention in recent days than this weekend’s Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley bout.
With Pacquiao trying to stretch what promoter Bob Arum has been confirming was a 50/50 agreement to 60/40, efforts to resolve the squabble are engendering arguments over which guy brings more to the table. I can’t pass up the excuse to weigh in on that, regardless of how the proceeds ought to be distributed.
Manny Pacquiao has beaten Marco Antonio Barrera (twice), Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales (twice) and Oscar De La Hoya. Ricky Hatton has beaten Kostya Tszyu. Pacquiao has accomplished much more.
I’ve come to like Hatton. Smart and underrated, he’s more than a brawling lout. He’s the best 140-pounder of the past five years or so, and he brings the IBO junior welterweight belt at stake into the equation. He also brings throngs of colorful, enthusiastic Britons. Their spending power may exceed that of Pacquiao’s legendary legions of fanatics.
I wouldn’t count on it, though. Filipinos are way more into boxing than Britons. Way more. Furthermore, Pacquiao is by any measure the bigger star in the rest of the world. Pacquiao has not proven to be a mega-draw for pay-per-view bouts, but who else makes Hatton worthy of pay-per-view? Manny’s victory over De La Hoya probably boosted his clout a lot more than Hatton’s allure was enhanced by his pay-per-view loss to Floyd Mayweather.
All that having been said, I hope Manny accepts the 50/50 deal. And, after he beats Hatton and they’re dickering with Mayweather, I hope he finds some way to take it out of Bob Arum’s hide.
Source: examiner.com
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