Is Pacman Worth a Bigger Piece of the Pie?

The planned bout between the pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao, and Rick "The Hitman" Hatton has met a bump on the round and the hype circus has grinded to a halt...for now that is.

Disagreement with how to divide the bounty as expected would be the main issue, and not the location. That is why it was kept as the last order of the day. Currently, team Pacquiao is pushing for a 64-40 split grabbing the lions share, while the Hattons' are not budging from an equal 50-50 arrangement.

Being crowned as the pound-for-pound king, and currently the most popular boxer on earth, team Pacquiao is demanding a bigger share of the purse as they believe Manny brings more fans, attention, and credibility to any bout. After fighting a series of Mexicans, Manny has, in a way, endeared himself to the Chicanos through his humility and respect for his opponents (even though he was coined as the "Mexicusioner") not to mention the fanatical following he has from his hometown and the converts he has in the land of the brave.

Truly, it can be said that Manny's fan base encompasses all races and segment (especially the rags to riches story-everybody loves an underdog). On the other hand, Hatton also brings alot on the table, with the reputation of British fans. (OLE...OLE...have you seen a Manchester match?)

British police use steel baricades to control these guys and just imagine their most famous boxer fighting on a much hyped bout, (they might as well name the bout as Asia Vs. Europe) while the die hard British fans might come in Las Vegas in herds.

I can't imagine the amount of revenue the bout would garner from the pay-per-view in England alone.

It is true that Manny has fought alot of high profile matches, matches were he was usually tagged as the underdog and has risen from the challenge and come out victorious, but does this give Manny the bragging rights to damand a bigger share of the bounty? Does Hatton have what it takes to demand for an equal share?

One thing is for sure: Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, be it 50-50 or 60-40, if this fight pushes through, the big winners will surely be the fans as the fight would be a guaranteed action packed, hard hitting thriller.