MANILA, 12 December 2003 — Chances of Manny Pacquiao staging his next fight in the Philippines is close to impossible.
According to Rod Nazario, Pacquiao’s business manager, said it would take as much as 40 million pesos to bring the next fight of the Filipino boxing sensation in the country.
Nazario, credited for Pacquiao’s recent surge in the international boxing scene, said his ward stands to receive at least 20 million pesos in his next bout — whether it is to defend his International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-bantamweight crown or to go for the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title.
“Pacquiao’s purse alone will make it very difficult for a local promoter to raise. How about the purse of his opponent and the other expenses?”
“I think it will take as much as 40 million pesos to bring the fight here,” said Nazario. “So, how can you recover 35 million pesos or even 40 million pesos. I just don’t want a local promoter to lose this much. In as much as we want Pacquiao to fight there, it’s really too difficult.”
He said the best option is still for Pacquiao to fight overseas, particularly in the United States where all the glamour and publicity of professional boxing stand.
Pacquiao received $350,000 (close to 19 million pesos) in his last bout against Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in San Antonio, Texas. The 24-year-old Filipino posted a sensational 11th round TKO to emerge as the newest toast of professional boxing.
Paragua Willing to Share Prize
Chess wonder Mark Paragua, who captured the country’s third gold medal in the ongoing Southeast Asian Games, is willing to share his 500,000 pesos prize from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) with his five teammates.
“Mark consulted his father, Ric, before he made the decision,” Paragua’s mother, Flor, said.
Grandmaster Joey Antonio, who with Paragua were the Philippines’ top bets in rapid individual chess, refused to share his winnings as requsted by team captain Eugene Torre three days before the event was held.
Torre asked that the incentives would be split six ways, with the winner would get two shares from the prize.
Aguilar Is First Filipino Asian Supercross Champion
Glenn Aguilar of Caltex-Revtex Namssa became the first Filipino Asian Supercross champion after a close third place finish in the final leg of the recent Asian Supercross at Yigo International Raceway Park in Guam.
Aguilar, bucked a spill in the qualifying race and boldly went on to finish second behind Australian rider Jye Harvey.
Harvey topped the final followed by Hawaii’s Bronzon Hethcote and Aguilar’s third place finish earned him the FIM Asia-Pacific 125cc crown.
Aep Dadang of Indonesia was a distant second in the Asian championship standings. At the end of the race, Aguilar took the Philippine flag on display near the podium and waved it during an emotional victory ride.
Aguilar’s victory coupled with junior rider Kenneth San Andres’ stunning first-place win in the final leg, the Philippines also snared the Coupe Des Nations Asiatique 2003 for the country with the best riders of the tournament.
President Invited to PSA Annual Awards Night
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been invited to be the guest of honor and speaker during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards set Jan. 9 at the Manila Pavilion.
PSA President Roberto D. Cuevas, sports editor of the Manila Standard, said the PSA board had unanimously endorsed the letter of invitation to the president, who is expected to grace the occasion to confer the highest honors to the top athletes and other achievers in sports in 2003.
Should she accept the invitation, it would mark the second time that Mrs. Arroyo would grace the awards rites of the country’s oldest media organization. The affair will honor Filipino sportsmen who won in international competitions in various sports.
President Arroyo was guest during the 2001 PSA Awards Night also at the Manila Pavilion. Former presidents who led the nation in honoring Filipino athletes were the late Ferdinand E. Marcos, Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos.
The early candidates for the top award are boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, who defeated former featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera, and bowler CJ Suarez, the fourth Filipino to win the prestigious World Cup of bowling.
David Leads PBL’s MVP Race
Gary David of Montana Pawnshop is on his way to capturing another Most Valuable Player (MVP) award as he currently leads the scoring department after the first round of the Philippine Basketball League Platinum Cup eliminations.
David, who clinched the Sunkist-Unity Cup MVP award, has an aggregate of 99 points in six games, registering a mean of 16.5 markers to lift the Jewels to a current standing of four wins against two losses in the ongoing conference.
Welcoat Paints, enjoys the top view at 5-1.
The 6-foot-3 forward from Bataan also has one of the stickiest hands in the club, coming in fourth in steals, at 1.5 loots per game, finishing fourth behind ICTSI’s Dino Aldeguer, who has 16 steals in six outings for an average of 2.6 a game.
Material Maker Wins Wind Blown Race
Material Maker topped the inaugural race honoring Wind Blown who was feted in grand style at the Santa Ana Park in Makati City. Proving his recent win was for real, Material Maker repeated over Free Wind in ruling the day’s main event, the Wind Blown Classic, from flagpole to finish.
Earlier, Wind Blown, the acknowledged “King of Philippine Racing,” was honored in a short but colorful send-off ceremony.
The horse, whom prominent sportsman Hermie Esguerra calls his “pride and joy,” galloped twice around the track under Jeffril Zarate’s guidance as the overflow crowd cheered in unison. For the first time, the multitude who packed the Makati racetrack heard pop singer Rannie Raymundo’s stirring rendition of the song “Wind Blown” depicting the horse’s awesome power and strong crowd appeal.
People close to the progeny of Hazm and Wind in My Hair also graced the occasion to salute the galloper.
By winning the Wind Blown Classic, Material Maker stamped herself as the horse to beat in the Presidential Gold Cup on Dec. 14.
Barcelona Claims Vacant Superflyweight Title
Eric Barcelona knocked out Cebu’s Sherwin Paro in the fifth round of their 12-round bout Saturday night to win the vacant Philippine superflyweight crown.
Barcelona, who only had a two-week notice for the fight, was leading on points entering the fifth round, but was clearly slowing down in a fight that was reduced into a clinchfest starting in the third.
Midway through the fifth round, the slugger from Bukidnon province then unleashed a left straight that sent Paro to the canvas.
Paro, fighting sluggishly, was downed by Barcelona in the fifth round, got up, then mysteriously got down again and failed to beat referee Virgilio Garcia’s count.
“At the count of six, he got up, then got down again when I reached nine, so he failed to make my count,” said referee Garcia. Primero Rules Puerto Princesa Cycling Race
Albert Primero finished first, warding off the challenge of bosom buddy Bernard Luzon in the criterium to rule the 1st Air21 Puerto Princesa Cycling Challenge in Puerto Princesa City.
Protecting a five-second lead after winning the massed start phase of the two-lap race, Primero never left his eye on Luzon throughout the 120-kilometer circuit race to pocket the 40,000-peso champion’s purse.
Primero, skipper of PLDT-NDD in the Tour Pilipinas, checked in with a big group of riders along with Luzon to secure the overall lead after amassing an aggregate clocking of seven hours, three minutes and 28 seconds.
