Multiple advisors equal blame game. Been there before. Not a good situation. It saps morale and teamwork.
3. Miguel Cotto has gained the upper hand. Negotiations mean understanding what the other party wants. If Cotto walks away, he can get a payday by having a rematch with Antonio Margarito or with Shane Mosley. It's a smaller payday to be sure. But what the other side wants is much more valuable, and sooner or later it may cease to be a money issue for Team Pacquiao. A 7th title in a 7th weight division is something that has never been accomplished in the entire history of the sport. Due to the lack of coordination and multiple, multiple individuals who make statements on behalf of Manny, Cotto has gained the upper hand. You have one motivated tank going against 10 blind-folded infantry units flying around to different countries, the Philippines, Canada, the U.S. (Las Vegas, Los Angeles, etc.), and let's hold training in either the Bahamas, Mexico, or Vancouver.
Caveat for a Congressman Manny Pacquiao
Navigating through negotiations in the boxing world is an easier task for the Pacman. It is after all the fight itself, and its outcome, that ultimately matters. Thus, he can agree - or walk away from - any fight due to terms. That's normal and part of the process.
In elected office, however, there is no walking away from the media when controversy arrives. Journalists swarm towards hot topics like flies on honey. Future lack of coordination by political and business advisors of an elected, representative Pacquiao should have more serious consequences.
"Sir Manny, I know you assigned me to distribute the $100,000 in funds for a provincial program, but I have no idea where the funds went." Another unacceptable scenario is having five separate advisors make claims or statements to the press, to the public, or to other public officials without having explicit authority from a congressman Pacquiao, especially on sensitive issues.
Prospective Solutions
- Buy off Cotto. The Puerto Rican is understandably sore from having to stay on with Top Rank as a precondition for the Pacquiao fight, taking a lesser percentage of the purse, having to fight at a catchweight, and being pressured to have his WBO belt on the line. Cotto may be making this stance in order to solicit a higher share of the split, so give it to him. He's facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit from his uncle. Maybe 55-45% split in favor of Manny.
- Do nothing for now. Alright, so Cotto has gained the upper hand, temporarily. But Manny is still the superstar here. Stall for a month. Let the emotions and egos die down. Maybe that will get Cotto to return to his senses - and that this could be a $6 - $8 million paycheck for him. This happens in relationships all the time right. A boyfriend threatens to break up with his girlfriend. So what does the girlfriend do, she feels terrible, so an opportunistic party boy sweeps her off her feet. The now ex-boyfriend regrets his decision. Does Cotto want to miss out on a big, juicy paycheck? Or would he rather fight a Margarito or Mosley for $1.5 million, and still not be considered as pound for pound king even if he wins? And that's a big if.
- Manny makes a separate concession. If I was advising Cotto here, my client has probably made too many concessions to the point of being highly disrespected. Many fight fans out there view the Puerto Rican as an undefeated boxer due to Margarito's dubious gloves. The 55-45% split is one possibility. Cotto weighed in at 146 lb. against Clottey and the WBO championship was at stake there. So why make Manny go to 147 lb.? The fight could be at 146. Or have the fight in New York. If the fight is in New York, which has a large Puerto Rican contingent, Cotto gets most of the gate receipts while Manny gets most of the pay-per-view (PPV) share. Or have Manny use 10 ounce gloves. Or Cotto's camp can select two of their preferred judges for the fight. And so on.
- Pacquiao fights Shane Mosley or Andre Berto. Cotto does not have a monopoly on the welterweight belts. For Pacquiao to make history, and win that 7th belt, Shane Mosley has the WBA welterweight belt. To be sure, Mosley is another very tough fight. The California-based fighter would be more than willing to accept the terms of 145 lbs. and smaller share of the purse. Similarly, Andre Berto is the WBC champ. Berto would also be willing to make similar concessions in order to get a $3 - $4 million paycheck.
- Pacquiao fights at 147 lb. Cotto has said that he is firm on his stance. This may mean that Manny, in order to secure a larger share of the purse and to earn the WBO belt, fights the Puerto Rican at 147 lb. Even at a catchweight of 145 lb., Cotto represents a big danger for Pacquiao. To be sure, Manny will be much faster than Cotto, but the latter - my friends - has taken monster punches from much, much larger opponents. Alright, both warriors have the same height and reach.
Well, Cotto is that guy. Manny will likely weigh in at 141 - 142 lbs the day before the fight, but Cotto will blow up to middleweight on Saturday night. That is Marvin Hagler / Paul Williams weight level my friends. (Actually, the Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Andre Bertos of the world should actually be fighting the bigger Paul Williams if they had the same bravado as Manny Pacquiao. Instead, they are looking for bigger paychecks to fight the smaller guys. But that's another article.)
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