WITH HIS perfunctory Pacman pilgrimage over and done with, Bob Arum is probably back in boxing’s mother church—Las Vegas.
Arriving at Manny Pacquiao’s training camp in Baguio City earlier this week, the high priest of ring promotion sprinkled holy water on the Filipino icon’s preparation for his bout with Mexico’s Antonio Margarito and proclaimed it, hallelujah! “Satisfactory.”
“Of course you don’t have to pour it on (while training),” said the creator of the Nov. 13 (Nov. 14 in Manila) bout between the Filipino icon and the comebacking Mexican—two thoroughbreds of his Top Rank stable. “You have to save some for the fight.”
The gospel according to Arum may not be too kosher for trainer Freddie Roach and the Pacman pack—sycophants included—while they were camped in the city of Pines.
But with that pronouncement from the impresario of impresarios himself, the jury could be in on Congressman Pacquiao’s readiness for the bout scheduled at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Manny himself told a television reporter that the last legs of his lengthy regimen would be devoted to speed—ostensibly of the blinding kind—the boon of heavier, taller opponents like Margarito.
So at a media opportunity day for him in Baguio, bottom-line Bob found the forum to talk about other bout business, like the current HBO projections and ticket sales, maybe, right?
Nope. The supposed media encounter was the monopoly of pay-per-view giant HBO, Caucasian reporters and other foreign media, according to my reporter friends on the scene.
Most of the assembled horde of Filipino reporters, including local Baguio media was barred from the session. In disgust, many decided to skip the event altogether, including the local anchor of a major television network.
What happened? Check with members of the Pacquiao retinue and the Cooyesan Hotel management.
Anyway, the presence in Baguio of the HBO crew was a tell-tale sign that the marketing of the bout to pay per view customers is far from over.
Matter of fact, the selling of Pacquiao-Margarito will have an official start of sorts, with the debut of the pay-per-view channel’s 24/7 series heralding the fight between the seven-time Filipino champion and the comebacking Margarito on Sunday.
* * *
Millions of people on its path would have liked Typhoon Juan to make a dash out of the Philippine area of responsibility. But the pesky guy chose to do a long jump, with preps and false starts—lingering for the longest time on the northern seaboard, including the Ilocos coast.
Juan held us, residents of coastal Tamurong I, in Candon City, Ilocos Sur, under siege with its devilish winds from noon Tuesday up to the wee hours of Wednesday. We survived a heavy bombardment of nuts and fronds loosened from the coconut trees planted all over the place.
As if that ordeal was not enough, the South China Sea, agitated by a storm surge, sent waves crushing on the coastal village from noon Wednesday till sundown on Thursday.
The people of the barangay, led by chair Rodrigo Valdez rose to the occasion. They were all over assisting Candon Mayor Allen Singson’s emergency rescue team and police officers led by city police chief Marlo Castillo in building a wall of sandbags to save seaside houses, our own Della del Mar, included.
“Of course you don’t have to pour it on (while training),” said the creator of the Nov. 13 (Nov. 14 in Manila) bout between the Filipino icon and the comebacking Mexican—two thoroughbreds of his Top Rank stable. “You have to save some for the fight.”
The gospel according to Arum may not be too kosher for trainer Freddie Roach and the Pacman pack—sycophants included—while they were camped in the city of Pines.
But with that pronouncement from the impresario of impresarios himself, the jury could be in on Congressman Pacquiao’s readiness for the bout scheduled at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Manny himself told a television reporter that the last legs of his lengthy regimen would be devoted to speed—ostensibly of the blinding kind—the boon of heavier, taller opponents like Margarito.
So at a media opportunity day for him in Baguio, bottom-line Bob found the forum to talk about other bout business, like the current HBO projections and ticket sales, maybe, right?
Nope. The supposed media encounter was the monopoly of pay-per-view giant HBO, Caucasian reporters and other foreign media, according to my reporter friends on the scene.
Most of the assembled horde of Filipino reporters, including local Baguio media was barred from the session. In disgust, many decided to skip the event altogether, including the local anchor of a major television network.
What happened? Check with members of the Pacquiao retinue and the Cooyesan Hotel management.
Anyway, the presence in Baguio of the HBO crew was a tell-tale sign that the marketing of the bout to pay per view customers is far from over.
Matter of fact, the selling of Pacquiao-Margarito will have an official start of sorts, with the debut of the pay-per-view channel’s 24/7 series heralding the fight between the seven-time Filipino champion and the comebacking Margarito on Sunday.
* * *
Millions of people on its path would have liked Typhoon Juan to make a dash out of the Philippine area of responsibility. But the pesky guy chose to do a long jump, with preps and false starts—lingering for the longest time on the northern seaboard, including the Ilocos coast.
Juan held us, residents of coastal Tamurong I, in Candon City, Ilocos Sur, under siege with its devilish winds from noon Tuesday up to the wee hours of Wednesday. We survived a heavy bombardment of nuts and fronds loosened from the coconut trees planted all over the place.
As if that ordeal was not enough, the South China Sea, agitated by a storm surge, sent waves crushing on the coastal village from noon Wednesday till sundown on Thursday.
The people of the barangay, led by chair Rodrigo Valdez rose to the occasion. They were all over assisting Candon Mayor Allen Singson’s emergency rescue team and police officers led by city police chief Marlo Castillo in building a wall of sandbags to save seaside houses, our own Della del Mar, included.
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