Champ to submit purse bid after all

Caught in the middle of the raging word war between his trusted American trainer Freddie Roach and astute US promoter Murad Muhammad, Manny Pacquiao yesterday put some semblance of order into his "suddenly confusing" boxing career.

Sources in Team Pacquiao told The STAR last night that the Filipino champion’s camp is definitely submitting its purse bid as per the IBF (International Boxing Federation) order for Pacquiao to fight Jose Luis Valbuena in a mandatory defense of his super bantamweight crown.

Although Pacquiao and business manager Rod Nazario would not be able to attend the purse bid set Jan. 16 at the IBF’s new offices in East Orange, New Jersey, Nazario’s US-based son Roberto will be the one to represent Team Pacquiao.

The elder Nazario, however, declined to confirm their purse bid but it is reportedly worth $250,000 with 75 percent or $187,000 going to the Filipino southpaw.

The purse is way below the $305,000 Pacquiao got in whipping Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in their non-title bout at the Alamodome last November although Valbuena’s handlers, the Golden Boy Promotions of boxing great Oscar dela Hoya, was reported to have floated a $1 million bid.

Nazario quickly brushed aside that $1 million yarn, saying Valbuena doesn’t deserve more than $70,000 as the No. 3 contender in the 122-lb weight class.

This would mean Pacquiao, who moved up in weight (featherweight) to fight Barrera whom he beat in a non-title but highly-regarded bout at the Alamodome last November, would go back to his old division. — Dante Navarro