Top Rank deal expires next year

LAS VEGAS – Even as Manny Pacquiao has announced his retirement from the ring, his contract with Top Rank won’t expire until next year. The deal was originally set to lapse at the end of this year but because of Pacquiao’s inability to fight after the Floyd Mayweather bout last May, it was automatically extended to cover for the period when he recovered from his shoulder injury.

Michael Koncz said the decision to retire or not is strictly up to Pacquiao. “I’ve worked 10 years now for Manny,” he said. “It’s funny that in the movie about Manny, two guys who were featured are no longer with him – (strength and conditioning coach) Alex Ariza and (tax accountant) Mike Cabuhat. Alex moved to Floyd’s team while Mike just got arrested by the IRS and the US Treasury for tax fraud. But I’m still around so there must be something good I’m doing.”

Koncz serves as Pacquiao’s adviser and negotiates his contracts. While Koncz wouldn’t speculate on the future, he said it’s a sure thing that Pacquiao is restrained from fighting in the Olympics by his Top Rank contract. “His contract hasn’t expired and it prohibits Manny from doing any fighting except for Top Rank,” said Koncz. “That includes exhibitions and events like the Olympics. Of course, there’s also the danger of getting injured in the Olympics. You’ll never know. Fighting in the pros is different from fighting in the Olympics. I think Manny has done more than enough to bring pride and honor to his country.”

Koncz said he’s a believer in the philosophy that sports and politics don’t mix. He advises Pacquiao strictly on the business of boxing. “Bob (Arum) called it a No Trump Undercard because he’s obviously not supporting (Donald) Trump,” he said. “That’s how he hyped the undercard for Manny’s fight against (Timothy) Bradley. But if you’re a promoter, why would you turn away a segment of the market? Let’s face it. There are boxing fans who are Trump supporters. I don’t understand the logic of turning them off.”

Koncz said Pacquiao needed a spectacular win over Bradley to get back in the driver’s seat in case he decides to continue fighting sooner or later. He would’ve liked a knockout ending. Instead, Pacquiao settled for a win by a unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena here Saturday night. Still, the outcome was decisive as Bradley was decked twice and looked like he would fall again until the bell came to his rescue in the 12th round.

A source said if Pacquiao decides to return to boxing, several options await him. One is a fight against Mexican Saul (Canelo) Alvarez who defends his WBC middleweight crown against Amir Khan at the brand-new T-Mobile Arena here on May 7. Another is a duel with former WBA superlightweight champion Adrien Broner who was stripped of his title for scaling 1/2 pound over the limit in a fight against Ashley Theophane last week. Broner halted Theophane in the ninth round anyway. And if Mayweather comes out of retirement, a rematch would be a juicy proposition.

“Alvarez never makes the middleweight limit which is 160,” said the source. “He’s more like a superwelterweight. If Manny fights Alvarez like he fought (Antonio) Margarito, he’ll win and the fight could bring in a potential 3 million pay-per-view hits.”

At the moment, Pacquiao has retired from boxing and will concentrate on his calling as a public servant. From what he showed against Bradley, Pacquiao still has what it takes to be a world pound-for-pound contender. In boxing history, fighters have retired and un-retired. So if Pacquiao decides to return to the ring sometime down the road, it wouldn’t be a surprise.