'Pacquiao could earn P1B if he fights de la Hoya'

MANILA, Philippines – What’s not to like about P990 million? Manny Pacquiao apparently stands to make that much if he decides to soften up on his previous demand. If he accepts Oscar de la Hoya’s offer, Pacquiao could earn a staggering $22 million or roughly P990 million, trainer and confidante Freddie Roach said. “Oscar is a big draw. He draws millions of pay-per-view buys. And Manny is bigger than [Floyd] Mayweather Jr. I think [Manny] will break records and I think he and Oscar will make 200 million buys. If Manny does that at 70-30, Manny will get over $22 million [P990 million]," Roach told Sports Radio personality Dennis Principe. Roach also confirmed in the radio interview Friday that the negotiations for the blockbuster meeting is apparently not yet over. “The negotiations are not dead yet," Pacquiao’s trainer said. “I’ve talked to [Bob] Arum and [Michael] Koncz and we feel the fight is not dead yet." Talks for a Pacquiao-Oscar de la Hoya megabuck fight broke off last week when both fighters stuck to their pay-cut demands: 60-40 for Pacquiao and 70-30 to de la Hoya. On Monday, two US-based media outfits reported that the major players involved are still moving to make the megabuck fight scheduled on December a possibility. “I think Oscar wants to go against a big name and wants to make a big event … and certainly Pacquiao is one of those names," Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions CEO, said on the Sports Illustrated web site Monday. Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, told the Los Angeles Times that Pacquiao “remained adamant about receiving more than 30-percent share of the purse"/ “There’s still the possibility of meeting somewhere in the middle," Arum said. Schaefer also told the LA Times that he had heard Pacquiao was softening up on his previous demand. “He sort of realized that 30 percent of the big pie is better than 100 percent of the small pie," Schaefer said of Pacquiao. Last week, Pacquiao said he wanted to “move on" and had instructed Arum to look for “another opponent". Roach believes Pacquiao’s decision was not final. “We’re going to try and make this deal happen. It’s not yet a final decision of Manny." – GMANews.TV