No more Manila sked for Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao will spend the first four weeks of training for the showdown with Shane Mosley mainly in Baguio City, the pound-for-pound king’s adviser said Friday.

“We haven’t really discussed it yet in full but the plan is to train in Baguio then go to Los Angeles,” said Mike Koncz.

Koncz said Pacquiao will train “eight weeks” as they anticipate a rough time with Mosley, who at 39 years old, remains a livewire opponent.

Told about the possibilities of Pacquiao spending some time in Manila before heading to Baguio, Koncz was quick to counter that it doesn’t likely that will happen.

“When he starts training, it will be in Baguio,” said Koncz.

Meanwhile, Koncz said Pacquiao will settle its financial obligations with the World Boxing Council (WBC) very soon after the boxing body’s longtime chief, Jose Sulaiman, said it will bring the case to court.

Sulaiman said Pacquiao owes the WBC $80,000 in sanction fees from fights with Oscar De La Hoya ($50,000) and Juan Manuel Marquez ($30,000) but Koncz said only the $50,000 will be paid.

“We have already sent word to our promoter, Top Rank, to pay it,” said Koncz yesterday, stressing that he doesn’t understand why Sulaiman is also asking for payment from the Marquez fight since there was no agreement for Pacquiao to pay such a fee.

The Mexico-based WBC has been experiencing financial troubles the past several years and ringsiders believe Sulaiman is demanding that Pacquiao pay immediately because the organization has to fulfill its many financial obligations.

In the last couple of years, the WBC has assailed Pacquiao’s choice of opponents, including a matchup with De La Hoya in 2008 that Sulaiman once described as a mismatch because it is a fight between a pachyderm (De La Hoya) and a hobbit horse (Pacquiao).

source: Manila Bulletin