Pacquiao, Arum okey pa rin ang relasyon

MANILA, Philippines — Bagama’t sinabi ni Manny Pacquiao na tapos na ang kanyang promotional contract sa Top Rank Promotions, hindi pa rin ito kinukumpirma ni Bob Arum.

Ayon kay Arum, patuloy ang maganda nilang relasyon ng Filipino world eight-division champion hanggang ngayon.

“Well we have a very very good relationship with Manny. We can talk contracts from today till tomorrow but that seems like its controversial,” wika ni Arum.

Hahamunin ni Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) si Lucas Matthysse (39-4-0, 36 KOs) ng Argentina para sa suot nitong WBA welterweight crown sa Hulyo 15 sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Ang Top Rank ni Arum ang siyang magsasaere ng naturang laban sa United States, Canada at Puerto Rico.

“There isn’t (controversy) for example in this fight. We’re not putting up the money; Manny got the money himself from Malaysia. Our role is to distribute the television, particularly in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and we’re happy with that,” wika pa ng veteran promoter.

Nauna nang sinabi ng kampo ni Pacquiao na tapos na ang promotional contract ng Filipino boxing icon sa Top Rank makaraan ang unanimous decision loss kay Jeff Horn noong Hulyo sa Brisbane, Australia.

“If Manny was looking to break his contract with us, he would’ve broken it by not having us being involved I assume,” sabi ni Arum.

Kung mananalo si Pacquiao kay Matthysse ay maaaring labanan ni ‘Pacman’ si Ukrainian star Vasyl Lomachenko (10-1-0, 8 KOs).

“And now he’s talking if he wins this fight, fighting Lomachenko who is our fighter and we will be happy to promote a Pacquiao/Lomachenko fight if that occurred because that would be huge,” ani Arum.

Pupuntiryahin ni Lomachenko, ang two-time Olympic Games gold medalist at may suot ng WBO super featherweight belt, ang hawak na WBA lightweight belt ni Jorge Linares sa Mayo 12 sa Madison Square Garden sa New York City.