By Hermie Rivera

Dear Manny,

The promoters are back with their gimmicks, latest of which is a subtle threat for you to accept their new demands.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum for one is calling for an L.A. meeting ostensibly to impose his long- pending card involving his wards, ( Edwin Valero and Humberto Soto.)

In the event this meeting happens, be prepared to answer questions obliging you to either fight one of his “ready to be slaughtered fighters” or agree to the 52-48 split of the Pac/Hat mega-pie.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Golden Boy Promotions are peddling the tale that Oscar de la Hoya will take on Ricky Hatton in England.

If so. will Hatton fight De La Hoya at 147 lbs? Or will Oscar go down to 140 pounds?

“Prepesterous” says one ill-informed fan.

Last we witnessed was the total destruction of Ricky by Floyd Mayweather Jr.at 147 pounds.

When I first heard of this proposal, two key points came to mind: Primero: is Oscar fit to fight Ricky in May after a severe or was it thorough-drubbing he got from Manny?

Segundo, Ricky’s disdain for a higher weight class to engage Oscar is foremost in his mind— what with his gruesome KO by Floyd— his lone loss in his checkered yet oft-times sensational career.

The other possibility they are toying with is for a rematch with Floyd Jr., a situation which entails difficulty for the Mancunian dynamo.

This fight is not going to happen either!

Neither is the winner being offered to you lest you’ll wind-up visiting a morgue (heavens forbid) instead of a vet’s clinic.

Pretty Boy Floyd Jr cannot make 140 and will insist on his usual 147 lbs or higher marks if ever he comes back— Internal Revenue Service tax-hounds notwithstanding.

But, if Mayweather had his druthers, he’ll opt for the Pinoy hero since Oscar would’nt dare get to Floyd at this time owing to his abysmal showing against you— the rampaging GenSan ‘cinderella’ man who’s on an absolute roll or tear as the case maybe.

And so Manny if I may; stick to your stand: that the Hatton group must decide whether to fight at your prescribed 55-45 split of the entire proceeds or have their Hitman  engage a lifetime career of a not so funny  comedian.

Manny, it was truly inspiring when you intoned: “Good luck sa plinaplano nilang laban nina  Oscar, Ricky, Floyd Jr. atbpa.

Hari-nawa, maging successful ang promotions nila.

As for me, I remain steadfast on my request for respectability.

Kung iyan ay ipagdadamot pa nila—-so be it..

I’ll go on seeking what’s right and proper kahit sino pa dian ang masaktan.”

Till here Manny—as always —keep punchin’.

Cordially,

Hermie Rivera

By Michael Marley

When he’s got an opponent in trouble, Manny Pacquaio instinctively knows what to do.

He comes forward with fire and fury, pressing that advantage to the fullest.

That’s what the Pacman needs to do now as the haggling over the May 2 super bout with Ricky Hatton drags.

I see Bob Arum complaining about Megamanny and his inner circle “negotiating through the media.” That makes me laugh as American athletes and agents are experts in doing just that.

Uncle Bob is a master at the same. Sometimes, I think baseball uber agent Scott Boras has taken a page or two out of the Don King or Arum media playbooks.

Maybe Uncle needs to be reminded that pacman lawyer Franlin Jacal works for his client and is not in the employ of Top Rank. Ditto for adviser Wakee Salud.

Even the Candian recluse Michael Koncz seems to have taken Manny’s side in demanding more upside than the 50-50 revenue split Team Hatton offered.

Now the Hattonites offer Pacquiao a 52-48 money edge and expect him to jump for joy, grab a contact singing pen and begin the publicity tour. Manchester here we come!

This time around, though, Pacman and his boys have flipped the script. No longer the docile, pliant Pinoy, Pacquiao demands full value for services rendered and for his awesome in ring prior accomplishments.

I say go for it, Manny, go for the knockout. They’ve conceded the 52-48, they caved once and now you can easily get the 55-45 division of all the money.

If you go for the jugular, you’ll set a great precedent for yourself and maybe for a future Manny Pacquiao ring hero.

The Casper Milquetoasts will tell you to cut and run, to put your John Hancock on the paper before Ray Hatton and his Golden Boys snatch the new offer away.

Don’t give Hatton a chance to walk, the cowards say. Come on, the Hatton side does not have a Plan F let alone a Plan B.

They’ve got no royalty, only jokers in their deck. Last week, Hatton’s lawyer was going to sue you and now butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

Word is the Hatton camp, the Goldens and Arum are all “annoyed” that you did not roll over and take the 50-50.

Isn’t that shame. Maybe they can make a movie about that, perhaps call it “White Men Can’t Slump” or something.

You and your family won’t be getting any retirement benefits, 401K’s or pensions from multijillionaires named De La Hoya or Arum.

Arum’s been pulling in the promotional cash since Ali-Chuvalo, Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, 1966.

Uncle Bob is on a 43-year run. When every fight is over, he goes to the bank.

You’ve done good in standing up this time, Pacman.

Now you need to close the show and get your rightful, eminently fair 55-45 split.

The Hattons, the Goldens, Arum…they’re all on the ropes now, champ.

Press on like De La Hoya for his own purses and like Floyd Mayweather Jr. always does. Squeeze them while you can.

Don’t settle for a decision, go for the mercenary KO.

This has nothing to do with sports. This is all about a brutal business.

By Michael Marley

They say that British humor is an acquired taste. I suppose finding it funny is like being accustomed to the sickening taste of Vegemite.

But let’s stop with the jokes about that guy, “another opponent,” who the Ricky Hatton threatens to put into the ring to replace Manny Pacquiao.

The Hatton camp, caught in a baldfaced lie, claims it has a ready made substitute foe who it can plug in and draw 80,000 paying customers to watch the mystery man (TBA or TBD?) fight Hatton.

Don’t ask me how I did it because I’d have to kill you if I told you but I’ve gotten the names of the possible Pacman replacements:

1. Jim Nasium—Always works up a good sweat.
2. Manuel Labor—From south of the border.
3. Carmen Ghia—Got plenty of drive.
4. Mike Rofone—Great prefight talker.
5. Kenny Standup—Spent more time on canvas than Rembrandt.
6. Manuel Transmission—Said to be great ring mechanic.
7. Ben Dover—No chin, has been more times than ship with a drunken crew.
8. KO Pectate—Been known to clear out many an arena.
9. Chuck Roast—Ready to “meat” any tough foe.
10. Rick O’Shea—Dublin-based slugger on the rebound.
11. Paddy O’Furniture—So hardy he stays in backyard year round.
12. Billy Klubb—Former NYC cop has fists like nightsticks.

So you see, Pacman and Pacfans, the Hatton camp has plenty of options. It’s like me at breakfast when I can choose between Vegemite or Krazy Glue.

By Hermie Rivera

Dear Sir,

Happy New Year and thanks for your letter. My apologies for a very tardy response, but it seems the holiday season commandeered my time and attention more than usual.

My favorite part of your article is reproduced hereunder:

“From where I sit, Manny Pacquiao’s raw courage encased in a heart as huge as the combined-tickers of Marines hunting Bin Laden  should do Oscar de la Hoya in.”

After the fight, I received quite an influx of emails regarding how I failed to factor in Manny’s heart and desire. My response has been quite simple.

It is easier to make predictions based on what is finite, what is measurable.. such as wins, losses, kayoes etc…

A fighter’s courage or will to win or what we refer to as “heart” is indeed immeasurable and incapable of “pecuniary estimation” (legal jargon)– but that is not to say that it is not factored into the equation.

The problem is that it is difficult also to state coming into the fight,that Oscar had no heart.

A fighter of his caliber who has won numerous titles in several weight divisions also deserved some credit for his desire and will to win.

Ergo, in my estimation, I had to stick to other statistics in making my call.

As to the fight itself, most of those who predicted a Pacquiao win opined that Manny would begin to take over the fight at the later rounds (8 or 9) and win after Oscar tires.

Very few expected Oscar to be impotent from the beginning and fail to win even a single round. As to whether or not it was a weight issue, a strategy issue or an age issue is beside the point….

It was a great performance from Manny and that is why he is the best in boxing right now.

As always, my continuing admiration for your work…

Cheers!

Jingo Quijano

Dear Atty Quijano,

I just can’t resist crowing over a neatly-delivered paean for the rampaging Pacman.

Ditto for a happy & wealthy New Year for you and your loved ones.
Chiz, Hermie Rivera

By Michael Marley

Nice try, provocateur Ricardo Lois. You’re trying to find a match to light the flame in a public lamp.

Even Stevie Wonder can see your conduct and we all know your motive.

You want to see your former idol, Miguel Cotto, clock Manny Pacquiao so you seize on Cotto’s offhand comments that he might possibly fight the Pinoy Idol.

Yeah, right, and Ivan Calderon might fight Nickolai Valuev also. The Russian Giant and the Boricua Iron Boy is about as likely to happen as Pacman-Cotto is.

Why, you ask? Because Uncle Bob Arum will take Megamanny into protective custody when it comes to that physical mismatch just as he has loudly done so many times when people bring up the possibility of a bout between another welterweight strongman, Antonio Margarito, and Da Pacman.

No one will ever find the requisite flame to ignite a conflagration for Pacquiao-Cotto because of Manny’s promoter’s “good looking out” which certainly would be certified by trainer Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao never mounted the rostrum to proclaim that he is a true 147-pounder, let alone the world’s best at the weight, before or even after he thrashed Oscar De La Hoya.

What Roach said, with his huge megaphone, was that his loyal liege could whip Oscar. The Pacquiao camp has never called out the entire welterweight division.

Thus, there are two excellent reasons Manny is targeting Ricky Hatton.

One, it is another monster payday. Two, if Manny remains focused it could turn into a relatively easy victory. No, it won’t be a De La Hoya cakewalk but, then again, I don’t think Hatton eats reindeer, kangaroo or deer meat the way Oscar’s brilliant nutritionist had the Golden Boy “beefing up.”

Megamanny is the Baddest Little Man On The Planet.

As Lois duly noted, he can’t be counted out against anybody due to his fierce Lapu-Lapu warrior spirit.

But, when the time comes to write the final chapter in the International Fist’s career, I think it’s safe to say his trip to welterweight will be recorded as what it was, a one-time excursion for the Golden Boy Exception.

As for the Mayweather Exception, the scriveners are still composing that one. But, if Manny beats Hatton and Pretty Boy comes calling, you can be sure Uncles Bob and Freddie will greenlight that excursion as well.

As in the case of Oscar, the physical risk will glossed over because of the financial reward. (I can’t wait until Manny demands that he and PBF fight only in Cebu.)

What makes me really laugh is that some of those who will call for Margarito-Pacman and/or Pacman-Cotto are the same folks who derided Manny’s chances against Oscar. They were among the legion who pointed out that Manny had climbed up so many weight classes just to get to lightweight let alone taking on a guy who remained, if nothing else, one of the top five or six 154-pounders extant.

Margarito really is a bridge too far for Manny.  If Cotto comes back to cop some title belts, I’d say the same about him.

Being fearless is one thing while being foolish is another.

Manny Pacquiao and his advisers know the crucial difference.

By Recah Trinidad
Philippine Daily Inquirer

The report was not apt. It said the Iraqi journalist who hurled two shoes at US President George W. Bush missed his target.

The Iraqi assailant certainly did not fail.

Bush had to duck the rockets, coming in the form of size-10 footwear, and avoided being slammed in the face.

But that sharp, dramatic move by Bush, closely resembling the main pad of Manny Pacquiao’s golden defense against Oscar de la Hoya in their Dream Match, did not totally save the American president.

The shoes did not hit the mark, thanks to the Pacquiao moves.

Nevertheless, Bush ended up slurred and shamed.

* * *

Bush did not get it in the face.

But he was aptly insulted.

In fact, Bush had to immediately lie to himself. He put up a straight face next, telling the media, “I didn’t feel the least threatened.”

Bush added he “didn’t know what the guy’s cause is?”

* * *

Of course, the entire world all along knew it.

“This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq,” shouted television correspondent Muntadar Al-Zeidi, the assailant who was immediately detained.

Of course, the entire world also saw how Bush’s image had been wrecked by his bloody sins in Iraq.

That explosive one-liner by Al-Zeidi, coupled with that dramatic protest kick, could well go down as the sharpest reportage on the Iraq War done by a native.

* * *

Listen, please.

Unlike De la Hoya against Pacquiao a week back, Bush did not appear puffed and often paralyzed.

Sorry but, just like De la Hoya, Bush would be exiting the main stage with a broken legacy, no thanks to the fiery correspondent who was instantly hailed as a national hero by celebrating Iraqis.

In De La Hoya’s case, the culprit was himself.

* * *

De la Hoya sinned in making false pre-fight claims.

It’s like this: As results would bare it, De la Hoya made a dishonest report on his exact worth in the run-up to the Pacquiao fight.

It has also become clear that two De la Hoyas prepared and fought Pacquiao.

There was Oscar the Golden Boy of the sport.

There was also Oscar the most successful salesman of prizefighting.

* * *

Pacquiao, indeed, proved to be a unique, insurmountable foe.

How Pacquiao succeeded in using De la Hoya as a springboard in his monumental leap to complete greatness — the finest boxer on the planet today — was caused by two major factors.

First, Pacquiao — a fierce, fearsome slasher — metamorphosed into a dream unbeatable warrior once he had succeeded in bringing enviable defense into the ring.

A bigger factor was the thick mask De La Hoya put on in noisily advertising the vigor he allegedly rediscovered in returning to the welterweight world.

* * *

It was a very painful process.

De la Hoya lied to himself in order to sell what could be his farewell package.

Unfortunately, he also ended taking countless fans for a ride.

Yes, Oscar also took boxing with him to the hospital after the one-sided match.

In Bush’s case, he did try to crack a joke to mask a shaken countenance.

De la Hoya, for his part, ended up a big joke.

* * *

(POSCRIPT: From boxing specialist Hermie Rivera in California:

Manny Pacquiao’s thorough drubbing of the once golden Oscar de la Hoya has brought out a tremendous outpouring of acceptance from a grateful nation.

But a loser who dropped a bundle at the casino is caterwauling on De la Hoya’s loss, prescribing a visit to a veterinarian instead of a medical doctor for quitting like a dog on his stool.

Poor Oscar. Maybe he should consider seeking aid from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals before plunging anew into what Jimmy Cannon calls the “red light district of sports since the fight racket’s rotten beginnings.”

By Michael Marley

Bang the drum quietly. I don’t think too many Oscar de la Hoya fans really want to go into the New Year hearing about how their tarnished idol is coming back to give a licking to the not so prodigal son, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

But, if he does come back and I lean towards him doing so, Oscar will have to have some ready made excuses for his pitiful performance against Manny Pacquaio.

I’ve decided to give Oscar a leg up with the following excuses he can use as promo fodder for a fight in Estadio Azteca against JC Jr.

1. OK, my left hand, including my jab and hook, are completely useless. I now vow to turn back the son of the legend from Sinaloa with just my right hand. No more trigger jokes, please, because I have been disarmed.

2. I am putting together a new team of legendary trainers like never before…Ray Arcel, Freddie Brown, Whitey Bimstein, Chappie Blackburn…whaddya mean, they’re all dead? Well, I will come up with a wrinkle here because you know what a lousy job Beristain and that Dundee guy did.

3. I have never lost to a Mexican in Mexico.

4. I have never lost even to a Filipino in Mexico.

5. I have never fought in Mexico.

6. I will fight without a stool in my corner thus removing temptation to quit while in a seated position.

7. I’ve never said this before but Richard Schaefer and I were so upset about the turmoil in the banking industry that I could not get my mind right for the Pacman bout.

8. That little Irish rat, Freddie Roach, won’t be irritating me with his trigger jokes or devising simple but wickedly effective stratagies against my limited, shell of my former self.

9. Hey, I got it, let’s bring Roach back to my corner. That’s the ticket!

10. I see that Ring magazine still has me ranked #1 in any division I so choose.

11. Bonus Round 1: I never get my butt kicked back to back.

12. Bonus Round 2: Did I mention that I have never lost a fight in my beloved Mexico? Btw, does anybody know where this Estadio Azteca is located? Is it near Cancun or Tampico?