Dispute over purse derails Pacquiao-Hatton fight

The proposed May 2 showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton is off because of a disagreement over their purse split.

The fighters had reached an oral agreement in late December on a 50-50 split of the revenue from their junior welterweight bout, which was scheduled for the MGM Grand Garden. But Franklin Gakal, Pacquiao's attorney in the Philippines, reportedly demanded a 60-40 split.

The fight fell through Wednesday when Top Rank promoter Bob Arum couldn't convince his fighter to accept the deal he had agreed to.

"Manny refused to sign the contract, and Hatton pulled the plug," Arum said. "He was in the Philippines, and he wouldn't talk to me or Freddie (Roach, Pacquiao's trainer). He was listening to his own people.

"The end result is he didn't sign. It's a very big blow for Las Vegas. But life goes on."

Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 knockouts) walked away from an estimated payday of $10 million to $12 million, and Las Vegas lost a big fight for the second time this year, after Shane Mosley-Antonio Margarito was moved to Los Angeles.

Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) grew tired of waiting for Pacquiao and last week told Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, to find him a new opponent.

Arum asked Schaefer to hold off until he could talk to Pacquiao. But Arum was unable to communicate with Pacquiao, and Hatton told Schaefer on Wednesday the fight was off.

"You have to stop playing games at some point," Schaefer said. "Now, we move on."

The MGM had planned to start selling tickets Jan. 30.

"Every day for the last three weeks it was, 'Next morning, you'll have a signed contract,' " Schaefer said. "The Hattons got tired of waiting, and it was undermining my credibility with the Hattons.

"We've already spent a lot of money for this fight, and for Pacquiao to do what he has done, it's very unprofessional."

The cancellation means millions in lost revenue for Las Vegas. Thousands of Hatton's fans were planning to make the trip from the United Kingdom.

The news stunned Richard Sturm, the MGM's president of entertainment and sports.

"We're disappointed," Sturm said. "It's impossible to put a number on it, but it definitely has a negative impact when you lose a big event like this."

Saturday's welterweight title fight between Mosley and Margarito originally was slated for Mandalay Bay but was moved to Staples Center after MGM officials determined they would have a hard time selling tickets so close to the Super Bowl.

The search begins anew for Hatton's next opponent. Ideally he'd like a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who knocked him out in December 2007. But that won't happen, according to Leonard Ellerbe, who helps manage Mayweather.

"Floyd's retired, and he's staying retired," Ellerbe said. "We haven't had any conversations with Hatton or Golden Boy."

A more likely possibility is a bout against the winner of the Feb. 28 lightweight title fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz, both of whom are promoted by Golden Boy. But Marquez or Diaz probably would have to move up to 140 pounds to face Hatton.

The Hattons also are talking about a possible fight with De La Hoya in England, but Schaefer said he has not talked to De La Hoya about it.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.