Home or away? - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

It’s still not sure where International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao’s first title defense will be held.

Pacquiao’s business manager Rod Nazario says he doesn’t mind promoting the defense here. But he realizes raising the dough to finance the fight won’t be easy, despite Pacquiao’s popularity. A dampener is the dollar component – the likely challenger Enrique Sanchez of Mexico may not settle for a purse less than $40,000 which is what Pacquiao got when he faced Lehlo Ledwaba in Las Vegas last month. Sanchez and his party will probably fly in two weeks before the bout – so you factor in hotel and food expenses for 14 days.

San Francisco lawyer Sydney Hall, who was instrumental in coaxing promoter Murad Muhammad to tap Pacquiao as Ledwaba’s substitute challenger when Sanchez backed out, is exploring another fight in the US.

"Money’s not the issue right now," explains Hall. "The idea is to make Manny a household name in the US market. Manny got great exposure fighting in the undercard of a De la Hoya event but the pay-per-view audience was limited. We want Manny to be on main cable TV. The big money’s just around the corner – it’s down the road. I see Manny taking on Johnny Tapia for a million bucks."

Nazario has given Hall two weeks to negotiate a US contract.

Muhammad, the power behind world lightheavyweight champion Roy Jones, has first crack at Pacquiao if he fights in the US. Hall says Tom Brown of America Presents is also interested in promoting the Filipino southpaw.

"If Manny fights in the Philippines and a cable network like HBO will cover it, we’ve got to pay a site fee of about $200,000," continues Hall. "But once Manny is a known commodity in the US market, we should be able to get income from US sponsors to pay for the site fee and the expenses of bringing a challenger to Manila. Until then, it’s advisable for Manny to fight in the US – his purse will be in dollars and he’ll continue to be exposed to the world’s biggest market."

Pacquiao couldn’t care less where he fights. It’s all the same to him. Of course, he’d prefer to fight at home. But realistically, Pacquiao understands his future lies in bigmoney contracts in the US.

Sanchez, a southpaw like Pacquiao, is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) 122-pound titlist. At 5-8, he’s about two inches taller than Pacquiao. The Mexican boasts a win over highly-touted Marco Antonio Barrera in the amateur ranks and turned pro in 1990.

Last February, Sanchez figured in a seventh round majority technical draw with Carlos Contreras in El Paso, Texas. He suffered a nasty cut over his left eye after an accident collision of heads and was unable to continue. Two judges scored it even and one saw Contreras ahead.

Sanchez’ record is 28-1-2. His only loss was dealt by Nestor Garza in 1998.

Nazario says he’s seen Sanchez fight on tape and claims Pacquiao won’t find it difficult repulsing the IBF’s No. 3 contender – home or away.