Remember when Manny Pacquiao was KTFO by Juan Manuel Marquez in December? (He doesn't!!!) He was subsequently handed a 120-day suspension by the Nevada State Commission, and given a 90-day ban from sparring. This isn't uncommon after a devastating knockout and since fighters — especially of Manny's magnitude — rarely fight again within 120 days, it isn't really a big deal.
But Manny Pacquiao is now, evidently, all about the benji's. He's planning on fighting again on April 13th or 20th, with Singapore, the leading contender, Macau and Abu Dhabi as possible destinations. The Nevada State Commission has no jurisdiction in Asia, allowing and additional 7-8 weeks to prepare for his fight. The IRS doesn't have jurisdiction out there either, a fact not lost upon Pacquiao's advisors who stated part of the reason for the move abroad is for "tax purposes."
This is all despite trainer Freddie Roach saying he didn't think Pacquiao should fight again until September (if he didn't retire).
“April or May is way too soon…you get hit with a shot like that and maybe you had a concussion. I wouldn’t be thinking of a fight until maybe September. That’s my idea of the soonest.”
Roach also said he didn't think they needed a tuneup fight for Marquez, who they plan to fight again in September.
Fighting this close to a devastating KO reeks of money-grabbing while his advisors and promoters still can. They've already stated money is a factor is moving the fight away from the U.S. but Pacquiao hardly needs the money. Perhaps, though, they were banking on a big check from the Floyd Mayweather fight. You'll notice his name doesn't appear on the list of potential candidates (Brandon Rios [please pick Brandon Rios], Roberto Guerrero, Jesse Vargas, Humberto Soto and Vyacheslav Senchecko). And with Marquez Pacquiao V on the horizon for September, the Mayweather fight isn't happening in 2013.
Not that it likely ever will, especially given all the hints toward retirement from Pacquiao, who said he'd consider it following his fight with Marquez, his wife and his trainer. One boxing insider, while not wishing to speculate on Top Rank's business, made a guess on the odds of the two meeting in the ring: "If I was a betting man I'd say 0."
Either way, one thing remains clear: Never bet on boxing to get things right.
