Manny Pacquiao: Pac-Man Needs to Sever Ties with Bob Arum

Timothy Bradley was awarded a highly controversial split decision victory over Manny Pacquiao. While there are many rumors circling, promoter Bob Arum remains in the circle of a myriad of concerns and it is time for Pac-Man to establish new representation.

Granted, Arum has helped make Pacquiao a very rich man. Despite losing on the scorecards, his take from the fight was over $25 million compared to just $5 million for Bradley.

However, as much as a fighter takes the ring to get paid, Pacquiao has his legacy to consider. His reputation took a hit by being tagged with his first loss in five years and could cost him the opportunity to ever fight Floyd Mayweather.

The list of conspiracy theories on the judging are long and convoluted. Whether the fight was fixed, influenced or simply poorly judged, Pacquiao ended up on the wrong end of the decision.

To have a chance to salvage his legacy as one of the best fighters ever, Pacquiao needs to end his working relationship with Arum.

Pacquiao's contract with Arum was extended through 2012 and will expire in 2013. The possibility exists that Arum used his influence with the judges to assure he has control of the welterweight champion. He may hope to leverage Pacquiao's status to make sure he maintains control of the fighter.

ESPN boxing analyst Teddy Atlas offered his thoughts on Pacquiao's contract and the impact it might have made on the fight.

"

I'm not sure if it's accurate that Pacquiao was about to leave one of the kingpins of the sport, Bob Arum. His contract was running out. But I think it was. And when that happens, sometimes funny things happen.

But the bottom line is, if you're an honest man and if you're a competent person that knows what he's watching, Pacquiao won that fight. Only one man won that fight. And, you know, he doesn't get the decision. It's an injustice to the sport, injustice to the fighters, injustice to the fanbase. And it's one of the fallacies...it's one of the problems with the sport of boxing right now is that the wrong guy wins sometimes.

"

Atlas was asked how swaying the bout in favor of Bradley, and possibly costing Pacquiao a huge matchup with Mayweather, would benefit Arum or the sport of boxing.

"

Well, I think I touched on it a moment ago, the possibility that he might not be signing up with the power broker, Bob Arum.

I mean, look, the worst thing you can say about the sport is that it's either corruption or incompetence. If it's incompetence, then that should be corrected.

That the judges that control the destiny of these fighters, fighters that leave a part of themselves in the ring quite often when they leave the ring, like Frazier and Ali did in those great, epic fights...those three times they fought. There's less of themselves when they leave that ring. That's a great responsibility, to make sure you get it right as judges. And a lot of times, unfortunately, the judges, they just don't get it right. They don't know what they're watching.

In this case again, they don't know what they're watching, at the very best. Which is a sad thing to say, that at the best they didn't know what they were watching, and at the worst they were influenced by other outside forces.

"

The idea that a promoter could undermine his own fighter to better his own purse is nauseating, but it is also part of a sport that is known for churning boxers with little regard to the fighter's future. There has also been speculation that Arum will only allow Pacquiao to fight other boxers in Arum's family.

Boxingnews24.com had speculated long before this fight that Arum fights are actually fixed before they start.

"

I am beginning to think that some of these in-house fights may actually be fixed. Nature has its own way of balancing things. Arum is slowly, but surely building a web which is already creeping up on him. Manny Pacquiao may be sincere in his dealings, but he has allowed himself to be soiled and has lost face already.

Babatis Banda, January 26, 2012

"

While the loss seems inexplicable, Banda offered a glimpse of what was to come.

Pacquiao may have a small black eye because of Arum, but he still has a very marketable name. He also has the financial means to choose whom he fights and what management structure to fight under.

Pac-Man could even choose to follow the path of Oscar de la Hoya and create his own management structure, leaving him unencumbered to a certain promoter, boxing network or fight venue. This might be the only way he can establish a fight with Mayweather, who left Arum in 2006 and is managed by de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.

If Pacquiao can find cause to terminate his contract with Arum, it needs to be done. If he has to spend the rest of the year boxing for a highly controversial promoter, then it certainly needs to be his last.

Pacquiao deserves better than what he's received, but the sport of boxing as a whole needs to be restructured and properly governed.

Until a few prominent fighters are willing to demand changes, more results like the Bradley vs. Pacquiao decision will be forthcoming.